Clinical-statistical analysis of population changes in New York State mental hospitals since introduction of psychotropic drugs.

Abstract

1. Fall of population in the New York State mental hospitals has continued through its sixth year. The rate of overall decrease has been about 1½% per year. Several elements in the total population can be identified as most affected by the change and with the exceptions of paresis and psychoses of the senium noted above, the decreases mostly involve those groups where drug therapy has the greatest clinical advantage over previous methods, this effect subsequently having been intensified by stepped-up total programs. (a) In general, the decrease is most marked in the younger age groups and in the 2- and 3-year cases and there is an actual increase of the very long term older cases (Figures 6 and 7). Releases have risen in cases of all durations of hospital life (Figure 4). (b) The 5-year fall (1955-60) of schizophrenic cases is the most impressive of all diagnostic groups and amounted to 3,376. This began abruptly after the introduction of large-scale drug therapy in January 1955 and has continued ever sin...