A behavioral program for the treatment of chronic patients.

The authors report the development of a short-term behavioral therapy program for chronically hospitalized schizophrenic patients who had responded only minimally in a therapeutic community. The basic program was a token economy, which concentrated on personal care activities, productive activities, and leisure activities, combined with drug treatment. During the first 9 months of the program 105 patients were admitted and 79 were discharged--24 to nursing or group homes and 47 to their own home or family. At 1-year follow-up 62 patients were still in the community without any readmissions. The findings that a token economy can be effective with chronic patients at comparatively little additional expense has broad implications for custodial care facilities with limited resources.