Almost half of patients experience full remission after treatment at a psychiatric clinic

Abstract

Background: The share of consultations at district psychiatric centres is increasing. In a health-economics perspective, it is important to describe the effects of the outpatient treatment provided at such centres. Objective: The aim of the study was to map changes in symptom severity and the incidence of mental disorders in patients following treatment at a district psychiatric centre. We also wanted to assess whether the therapist’s profession had an impact on these variables. Method: At Elverum-Hamar district psychiatric centre, we mapped 156 patients before therapy, and 65 patients (42 per cent) participated in a follow-up six years later. Participants reported their own symptom severity and took part in diagnostic interviews before therapy and as part of the follow-up. In separate analyses, treatment outcomes were compared for patients of psychiatric nurses (n = 31) and psychologists/psychiatrists (n = 34).

Results: In the follow-up, 28 out of 65 patients (43 per cent) showed a clinically significant improvement, and 27 of the 59 patients (46 per cent) who were interviewed no longer exhibited a mental disorder. These results were due to a particular improvement in affective disorders. The median number of consultations during the time period was 53 (with a 4–328 spread).

There was no signicant difference between patients treated by psychiatric nurses and psychologists/psychiatrists. Apart from a higher mean age, we found no signicant difference between the patients who showed a clinical improvement and those who did not show any improvement. Conclusion: Despite numerous consultations at district psychiatric centres, only a moderate share of the patients experienced a signicant reduction in symptoms. The profession of the therapists does not seem to impact the effects in the long term.