Models of mental illness and duration of hospitalization.

Three approaches to the study of mental illness are examined: the medical, the behavioral, and the societal reaction models. Operational measures of each model are presented and used to determine the relationship between the measures and duration of institutionalization and the relative importance of the three models in predicting duration of institutionalization. Data were obtained on 36 admissions at two state hospitals, and from interviews with 142 of the patients' relatives, friends, and co-workers. The measures of the societal reaction model and behavioral model were found to be related to duration of hospitalization, with the societal reaction model being the most predictive.