Short vs Long Hospitalization

Abstract

• A controlled, prospective, two-year follow-up study examined the relative effectiveness of short-term vs long-term psychiatric hospitalization. Results of the inpatient phase for a sample of 74 nonschizophrenic patients are reported here. About four weeks after admission the patients hospitalized for a short stay were discharged, and at that time were functioning better than the patients in the long-stay group. When the patients hospitalized for a long stay were discharged, three to four months after admission, they were then functioning as well as, but not noticeably better than, the patients in the short-stay group had been at their earlier time of discharge. Patients with affective disorders were more impaired at admission and improved more than patients with other diagnoses, regardless of length of stay.