A Behavioral Program for the Treatment of Chronic Patients
Abstract
The authors report the development of a short-term behavioral therapy program for chronically hospitalized schizophrenic patients who had responded only minimally in a therapeutic community. The basic program was a token economy, which concentrated on personal care activities, productive activities, and leisure activities, combined with drug treatment. During the first 9 months of the program 105 patients were admitted and 79 were discharged–24 to nursing or group homes and 47 to their own home or family. At 1-year follow-up 62 patients were still in the community without any readmissions. The findings that a token economy can be effective with chronic patients at comparatively little additional expense has broad implications for custodial care facilities with limited resources.
Access content
To read the fulltext, please use one of the options below to sign in or purchase access.- Personal login
- Institutional Login
- Sign in via OpenAthens
- Register for access
-
Please login/register if you wish to pair your device and check access availability.
Not a subscriber?
PsychiatryOnline subscription options offer access to the DSM-5 library, books, journals, CME, and patient resources. This all-in-one virtual library provides psychiatrists and mental health professionals with key resources for diagnosis, treatment, research, and professional development.
Need more help? PsychiatryOnline Customer Service may be reached by emailing [email protected] or by calling 800-368-5777 (in the U.S.) or 703-907-7322 (outside the U.S.).