Involuntary outpatient treatment in patients with severe mental illness: a one-year follow-up study

Autor: Carlos Cañete-Nicolás, C. Leal-Cercós, Carmen Bellido-Rodríguez, Pedro Asensio-Pascual, Guillem Lera-Calatayud, Miguel Hernández-Viadel, Roman Calabuig-Crespo
Rok vydání: 2013
Předmět:
Zdroj: International journal of law and psychiatry. 37(3)
ISSN: 1873-6386
Popis: Introduction Involuntary outpatient treatment (IOT) aims to ensure adherence to therapy in patients with serious mental disease who are unaware of their illness and for whom treatment discontinuation carries a high risk of relapse. Objectives To evaluate the effectiveness of IOT in preventing relapse among patients with serious mental disease. Method A retrospective observational study was carried out on all of the patients (n = 140) receiving IOT in the city of Valencia, Spain. Hospital service uses (emergency care, admissions and mean stay times) during the 12 months before and after the introduction of IOT were compared. Results Patients with schizophrenia, delusional disorder or schizoaffective disorder showed a significant reduction in the number of admissions and days spent in the psychiatry ward during the year of IOT. The reduction in the number of visits to the emergency department was only significant for the patients with schizophrenia. Discussion We conclude that involuntary outpatient treatment may be effective for patients with serious mental disease who are unaware of their illness and for whom treatment discontinuation carries a high risk of relapse.
Databáze: OpenAIRE