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To analyse sociodemographic characteristics, descriptive psychopathology and therapy in the first decade of service of the Hospital Psiquiátrico San Isidro del Valle del Cauca, 1958-1968.

Retrospective descriptive study of a series of case histories of the studied period, and by qualitative analysis and conceptual networks.

Sociodemographic variables were analysed, and it was observed that, although the patient population increased, hospitalisation was reduced due to the implementation of a "Day Hospital" and outpatient services. The majority of patients were young adults, women engaged in housework, and several lower-middle income patients, primarily referred by their families. Hospital stay was short, with a high frequency of readmissions. The main reason for discharge was improvement, and the predominant diagnosis and symptomatology was schizophrenia, with the treatment being antipsychotic neuroleptics.

The correlation of the short time of hospitalisation, more outpatient clinics, the large number of readmissions, and improvement as the reason for discharge, is consistent with the results of the International Pilot Study of Schizophrenia 1968, which included a sample of 100 patients from Hospital psychiatric San Isidro del Valle del Cauca, in which it was concluded that the disorder did not cause a progressive deterioration in patients and that, on the contrary, showed a significant percentage recovery.