Factors Related to Psychiatric Hospitalisation for First Contact Patients

In a consecutive series of 178 first contact patients hospitalisation was significantly related to greater distance travelled, low income, acute onset, short duration, past history of illness and history of substance abuse compared to those receiving outpatient disposition. Hospitalised manics and paranoid schizophrenics had higher BPRS scores while hospitalised non-paranoid schizophrenics had lower scores. There was a significant positive correlation between hospitalisation and BPRS items: grandiosity, excitement, elated mood, motor-hyperactivity and distractibility and negative correlation with somatic concern, anxiety, depressive mood and social incompetence. Stepwise multiple regression analysis found the combination of loss of functioning, social incompetence and grandiosity to best predict disposition decision.