Symptomatology and social adjustment of psychiatric patients before and after hospitalisation

Abstract

Out of 238 patients admitted during 12 months period to a short term psychiatric unit attached to a large general hospital, 61 patients were assessed on their symptomatology and social adjustment. The patients were reassessed after discharge at one month and four months follow-up period. There was considerable improvement of symptomatology and social adjustment at one month follow-up. However, at four months after discharge the improvement of social adjustment was considerably slower than that of symptomatology. Results replicate previous findings which have shown that a decrease of the patients' symptomatology does not necessarily result in more effective social functioning.