Am J Psychiatry 1976; 133:61-65
Copyright © 1976 by American Psychiatric Association
Correlates of patient attendance in an inner-city mental health clinic
TJ Craig and CL Huffine
Of 140 patients seen at a psychiatric clinic serving a predominantly black,
low-income population, 65% attended for four or more visits. Patients over
age 30 and those with a diagnosis of psychosis or personality disorder
remained in therapy for significantly longer periods than the rest of the
group. Failure to prescribe medication was associated with early dropout,
but this effect seemed to be attenuated with duration of therapy. The race
of the patients and therapists did not seem to influence continuation in
treatment, but such an influence may have been masked by differences in the
therapists' experience.
