The readmission of psychotic patients to a general hospital psychiatry unit

This article describes a retrospective study of patient readmissions to a psychiatric unit in a large teaching hospital. A cohort of 150 patients was identified and their demographic and clinical characteristics, their reason for admission, and their rehospitalization patterns examined. Patterns of readmission for the cohort do not suggest a "revolving door" syndrome. The role of the psychiatric unit of a general hospital in the rehospitalization of psychotic patients is discussed.