Welfare homes and district psychiatry. a study of client profiles in welfare homes of Velje district
Riis, A.
Ugeskrift for Laeger 149(47): 3216-3220
1987
ISSN/ISBN: 0041-5782 PMID: 3433521 Document Number: 293515
In order to disclose any unfulfilled requirements for psychiatric help in a region with a sectorized psychiatric service, the clientele in the two welfare homes in the County of Vejle were followed for three months. A total of 148 clients with sojourns in the homes for longer than 24 hours were recorded on a special schema by the staff and the author had more detailed interviews with a selected 58% of the clients. As was found in previous and contemporary works, it was revealed that the clientele in the welfare homes constitutes a socially greatly stressed group of persons. Contrary to previously published findings, only eight clients were found in this material (5.4%) who had previously been hospitalized on account of psychoses (four with schizophrenia, one with an affective disorder and three with other reactive psychoses). In addition, seven clients (4.7%) were found who had been hospitalized and treated for alcoholic psychosis or delirium. Finally, a man with severe schizophrenia was found. He had never been in contact with a psychiatric hospital. It is concluded that no psychotic clients "hide" in the welfare homes in the county of Vejle. Nevertheless, the author stresses the importance of close cooperation between the welfare homes and the general psychiatric team.