Predicting rehospitalisation in older inpatients with a psychotic disorder

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to predict rehospitalisation in a psychiatric clinic in older inpatients with a psychotic disorder. METHODS/DESIGN: In this prospective, observational study, all eligible inpatients aged 55 years and over with a primary psychotic disorder, admitted to a specialised ward for older psychotic patients in a large psychiatric inpatient clinic in the Netherlands, were asked to participate. Whether or not patients were rehospitalised and time to rehospitalisation were assessed 1 year after discharge from the ward. We recorded age, gender, living arrangement, psychiatric diagnosis, severity of psychotic symptoms, duration of index episode, age of onset of psychotic disorder, number of previous admissions, involuntary admission and use of depot medication at discharge. All patients underwent a neuropsychological assessment. RESULTS: Of the 90 patients that were included, 32 (35.6%) had been readmitted within 1 year after discharge. None of the demographic or clinical variables predicted rehospitalisation or the time to rehospitalisation. CONCLUSION: Factors that predict rehospitalisationin younger adult patients with schizophrenia may not predict rehospitalisationin older patients with a psychotic disorder, of which the majority suffered from schizophrenia. We expect that other factors than those investigated may be of greater importance to predict rehospitalisation, as for example social support and coping mechanisms.