Factors associated with the discharge of patients from a long-term state psychiatric hospital

The study discussed in this article describes the characteristics of 188 patients who were residing in a state psychiatric hospital on July 1, 1995, and identifies the patient-related factors associated with the 74 patients who were discharged within four years of the survey date. Because of different criteria for discharge between patients admitted by their legal guardians and those committed by the criminal courts, separate analyses were conducted on the two groups. Overall, court-committed patients who were discharged demonstrated higher levels of psychiatric stability and nondangerous behaviors than guardianship patients who were discharged.