Geographic Factors and the Release of Patients from State Mental Hospitals

The decision to release a patient from a state hospital may be influenced by social as well as clinical factors. In this study of patients admitted for the first time to two state hospitals in Wisconsin, it was revealed that an increase in geographic distance between the hospital and the patient's home was associated with an increase in the period of confinement, increase in the likelihood of conditional release, more stringent clinical standards allowable for release, and a greater probability of receiving chemotherapy. The authors conclude that the hospital's need for certainty in its release decisions increases with geographic distance from the patient's home.