Residence of incident cohort of psychotic patients after 13 years of follow up.

OBJECTIVE

To establish the residential history of an incident cohort of psychotic patients 13 years after their first contact with the psychiatric services.

DESIGN

Tracing of all patients admitted to the WHO study on determinants of outcome of severe mental disorders in Nottingham between 1978 and 1980. Patients were assessed using standardised and comparable instruments, and extra information was obtained from key informants and medical records.

SETTING

Catchment area of Nottingham psychiatric services.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Main place of residence over the previous two years and residential history over 13 years in terms of homelessness, imprisonment, and use of high dependency psychiatric facilities.

RESULTS

95 patients were traced. At the point of follow up no patients were in long stay psychiatric wards, two were in supervised residence, none was homeless, and none was in prison or a high security hospital. 85 patients were living either independently alone or with their family or friends in the community. Of these, 44 had had no contact with the psychiatric services at the point of follow up.

CONCLUSIONS

Although many patients experienced a difficult early course of illness, the longer term outcome of the disorder was associated with remarkably low periods of homelessness and imprisonment and low use of intensive care facilities. These findings offer some reassurance, given the concerns about the effectiveness of community oriented care for this potentially most vulnerable group of psychiatric patients.