Outcome of irregularly discharged psychiatric patients

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Abstract
Clinicians'' attitudes about the posthospitalization outcome of patients who are irregularly discharged from the hospital (i.e., against medical advice or AWOL [absent without leave]) have been pessimistic, but unsystematic follow-up data of such patients compared with regularly discharged patients suggest that outcomes for the 2 groups are similar. Because of this discrepancy, data was used from a controlled, systematic study of a large sample of voluntary inpatients that measured global outcome over 2 yr. Their findings suggest that 1 and 2 yr after admission, most patients who were irregularly discharged had outcomes similar to those of patients with regular discharges. There was a subgroup of irregularly discharged patients who had worse outcomes.

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