Discharged state hospital patients' characteristics and use of aftercare: effect on community tenure.

A study of a publicly funded mental health system determined that the use of aftercare services by discharged patients had the effect of extending community tenure. Patients' clinical characteristics, particularly number of previous hospitalizations, had only minimal effect and patients' demographic characteristics had essentially no impact on community tenure. Increasing the variety and intensity of rehabilitation-oriented types of service rather than increasing the frequency of supportive contacts through individual therapy and case management appears to hold the greatest promise for extending community tenure.