[Occupational reintegration of psychiatric patients hospitalized for the first time in the year following their discharge--results of a prospective longitudinal study].

A short-term occupational prognosis had been given for first-admission psychiatric patients, occasioned by information from the field that, in case of mentally ill persons, measures for their vocational rehabilitation frequently either are started too late, or are inappropriate in scope, because associated impairments are insufficiently dealt with, underrated, or even overlooked at all in the early stages of the illness. Following Wing's concept of disability, an attempt was moreover made to identify barriers for occupational resettlement. The findings provided the basis for considering the question of scope and type of within-clinic or external measures to be initiated, or stepped up, to facilitate these clients' access to gainful employment and, hence, able to positively influence the future course of their condition.