Assessing the community care of chronic psychotic patients.

The placements, activity levels, and hospital admissions of 263 of the most severely mentally ill patients in a county continuing care program were studied over an 18-month period. The findings showed a major shift of patients from local locked facilities to independent living and a 33-per-cent drop in county hospital psychiatric admissions. But activity levels of many of the patients were well below therapists' expectations, with almost half doing little or nothing at 18 months. The authors conclude that essential services were provided for this group, but that their integration into the community was hampered by insufficient recreational and vocational activities.