Discharge planning for hospitalized chronically mentally ill usually involves only verbal descriptions of community residential options. Psychosis often impairs ability to conceptualize abstract information, and quality of the choice process may be poor without describing options in concrete form, i.e., using written descriptions and photographs. A random sample (N= 90) of Dammasch State Hospital (Wilsonville, Oregon) patient population, comprising persons diagnosed schizophrenic, schizoaffective, organic mental disorder, and bipolar, were assigned to three treatment groups, asked to rank six community residential options suited for them when they were ready to leave the hospital. The three treatment groups were presented the same set of residential options, but the manner of presentation of options was manipulated: first group received verbal descriptions, second group received verbal descriptions with placards containing printed highlights of descriptions, third group received verbal descriptions, printed descriptions, and five photographs of each type of residential option. After ranking the options, respondents were asked how difficult it was to make their choices: very difficult, kind of difficult, not very difficult. Finally, an open-ended question was asked, "What guided you in making your choices?" Respondents' social workers were asked to rank same six residential options for each respondent. Chisquare and Kruskal-Wallis tests were computed for treatment groups-by-respondents' choices for first through sixth choice with no significance found. "Difficulty of Choice"by- treatment group analyses found no significance using Kruskal-Wallis test, and trend toward significance using chi-square. Content analysis of open-ended question, "What guided you ..• " yielded seven categories of answers, and chi-square of "What guided you"-by-respondents' first choice of residential setting was significant. "Experience" and "Privacy and Independence" were most influential factors from content analysis, but only trends toward significance were found in chi-square, cross-tabulating them by treatment group. Since cross-tabulation of respondents'-by-social workers' choices showed no significance, six rankings were collapsed into three and significance was found for supported housing option (respondents and social workers choosing it in common third or fourth) for total sample. Other significance was found in verbal treatment group for homeless shelter (chosen in common fifth or sixth), and for supported housing (chosen in common third or fourth). Rank correlations of respondents' and social workers' choices for total sample found significant negative relationship for room and board option. Rank correlations of choices by treatment group found significant negative relationship for room and board in the verbal treatment group; found significant positive relationship for residential care facility in the verbal/written treatment group; found significant negative relationship for room and board option in the verbal/written/visual treatment group. Abstraction deficits evidently do no affect the way chronically mentally ill persons choose residential options. The chronically mentally ill also do not find choosing a residential placement any more or less difficult given the presentation of written and visual descriptions in addition to verbal description. Given excess of "not very difficult" answers to "difficulty" question, validity of "difficulty" question to detect quality of choice process is questionable. Better outcome question may have been, "How satisfied are you with you choices?". Given distribution of respondents' and social workers' choices, compromise between independent living and residential care facility is suggested in choice of supported housing program.

This study examined the relationship between residential environment and subjective quality of life (QOL) for individuals with mental illness. Demographic variables impacting QOL were also examined. The Wisconsin Quality of Life Index---Canadian Version (CaW QLI, Diaz & Mercier, 1996) was administered to a total of 46 participants and was used to assess the QOL of individuals living in a supported residential environment as compared to individuals living in other types of environments. / The major findings were: (1) psychiatric consumers/survivors in the supported residential environment reported higher QOL scores in 4 of the 9 domains examined; (2) residents living in a supported housing facility were more likely to be involved in a greater number of daily activities; (3) education was strongly correlated with 4 of the 9 QOL domains; (4) regression analyses however showed that residential environment or demographic variables on their own did not have a significant effect on QOL. Further research is required to delineate the relationships between residential environment, demographic variables and QOL.

No description available.

The present study assessed the relationship between mentally ill homeless and their companion pets and questioned if the pets acted as a barrier for them to receive shelter and other services. The study also sought to find if pets acted as a communication tool between this population and society. themselves because they are mentally vulnerable and victims of a mental disorder.

The purpose of this study was to identify risk factors associated with homelessness, assess the relationship between housing status and consumption of costly publicly funded resources, to identify characteristics associated with service retention, and to evaluate whether length of treatment is associated with better outcomes. The target population was homeless and formerly homeless adults with SMI enrolled in community mental health services at the Downtown Emergency Service Center SAGE mental health program located in Seattle. The sample consisted of 380 SAGE patients who had continuous enrollment in 2005. These patients formed the cohort for the study. Agency records for these patients were reviewed for a 3-year period (2005-2007). The study utilized a non-experimental retrospective cohort study design. Multiple logistic regression, hierarchical multiple regression, two-way repeated measures ANOVA, and Cochran's Q test were used to analyze the data. Homelessness was associated with African American race, substance use, lower income, and younger age. Patients who were homeless spent more time in jail and required more mental health staff time compared with patients with stable housing. Patients with schizophrenia were more likely to retain services and African American patients were less likely to retain services. Overall, patients who remained enrolled in services from Year 1 to Year 3 had improved housing stability, fewer days of incarceration, and required less staff support. The overrepresentation of African Americans among patients who experienced homelessness suggests that racism could be a factor contributing to homelessness for this racial group. Further research is needed to assess the relationship between race and homelessness.