Psychiatric day hospitals--another route to institutionalization?

Nineteen long-stay day patients were referred to a rehabilitation team and their outcome after a year is compared with 19 day patients who were not referred, but were matched for age, sex and diagnosis. Seven rehabilitation team patients had been discharged at 12 months as against 3 of the non-rehabilitation patients, but this was not a significant difference. Discharged patients were less disturbed at the beginning of the study and had fewer negative symptoms throughout. Discharge did not reduce the frequency of social contact. There was a suggestion that morale was sustained better in the rehabilitation patient and in their nurses. We conclude that rehabilitation planning may have beneficially accelerated the discharge of less ill day-patients, but that more resources are needed to prevent 'institutionalization' within the day-hospital.