Mental retardation in West Zeeland. V. Patients discharged from Andersvaenge
Dyggve, H.; Kodahl, T.
Ugeskrift for Laeger 143(6): 361-363
1981
ISSN/ISBN: 0041-5782 PMID: 7210247 Document Number: 178551
Patients (1713) were discharged from an institution for mentally retarded from 1940-1975. Of the patients, 53% were men, and 84% were between 21-65 yr. Most patients (80%) were slightly retarded (with IQ's above 50). Only 3% of the patients had Down's syndrome. Familial mental retardation occurred in 40% of the patients. There was a very high frequency of patients originating from large groups of siblings. In the groups with many siblings, the frequency of familial cases and of poor social conditions was much higher than among the groups with few or no siblings. Almost half the patients were discharged to other institutions, mostly for the mentally retarded. One-fourth were discharged to sheltered hotels or to live on their own; 29% were discharged to live with their families. Of the patients, 9% were married and 7% had given birth to children, 19% were sterilized and 1/3 of these sterilized patients were men.