Subjective quality of life of recently discharged Nigerian psychiatric patients.

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the study were to examine the perceptions of recently recovered psychiatric patients on their feeling of well-being, their satisfaction with domains of living experience, and the correlates of subjective quality of life (QOL).

METHOD

Patients (n = 118, aged 18-60) with schizophrenia and major affective disorders were assessed with the 26- item WHOQOL instrument, 2 weeks after discharge. Satisfaction with the items was graded as follows: dissatisfaction (< 50% positive appreciation), bare satisfaction (50-65 %), moderate (66-74 %), and highest satisfaction (> or = 75 %). In the six domains of QOL, patients were categorized as high, average or poor, based on domain mean score plus/minus 1 SD.

RESULTS

Items of highest satisfaction included overall sense of well-being and satisfaction with self; satisfaction with personal relationships and ability to work were moderate; while there was dissatisfaction with adequacy of money to meet needs, dependence on treatment and sex life. At least two-thirds of the subjects were categorized as having average QOL in each of the six domains of living experience. There were no significant associations between psychiatric diagnosis, socio-demographic characteristics and QOL.

CONCLUSION

Our data support the impression that effective medical treatment is the first step to ensure QOL. Subjective QOL ratings realistically reflect the strengths and weaknesses of socio-cultural circumstances and patients' perceived personal qualities. High subjective sense of well-being should be a tool in public mental health education to dispel the gloom of psychiatric outcome and combat stigma.