The Rehabilitation of Long-Stay Schizophrenic Patients

¹ Senior Registrar, Barrow Hospital, nr. Bristol

The behaviour, work performance and leucotomy status of 65 long-stay schizophrenic patients at a regional psychiatric rehabilitation hospital is compared with their subsequent post-rehabilitation progress. Relatively successful patients showed less evidence of schizophrenic behaviour at the beginning of their rehabilitation and their work performance improved more than the relatively unsuccessful groups. Patients whose initial handicaps were too great became more disabled as their rehabilitation proceeded. A previous leucotomy was associated with an unfavourable response to rehabilitation.