[Attitude of the chronically ill towards psychiatric hospitals]

Three hundred chronic mental patients participated in a survey to evaluate their attitudes towards the 2,000 beds hospital where they were staying. The mean duration of the actual hospitalization was 12.1 years and most patients (77.9%) suffered from schizophrenia or other psychoses. On the whole, results show a relatively high level of patients' satisfaction. Single, non psychotic and self-sufficient patients who have not been hospitalized many times and do not want to leave the institution are more inclined to be positive towards the psychiatric milieu. The authors report that participation of chronic mental patients in a survey can be reliable and give helpful suggestions in relation with the evaluation of psychiatric care and the improvement of the quality of life in state hospitals. They conclude that it will always be difficult to discharge satisfied patients without offering the same support and community services that they find in a state hospital.