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 pa tients who were residing in a state psychiatric hospital on July 1, 1995, a nd identifies the patient-related factors associated with the 74 patients w ho were discharged within four years of the survey date. Because of differe nt criteria for discharge between patients admitted by their legal guardian s and those committed by the criminal courts, separate analyses were conduc ted on the two groups. Overall, court-committed patients who were discharge d demonstrated higher levels of psychiatric stability and nondangerous beha viors than guardianship patients who were discharged.