Characteristics of psychiatric hospital absconders

Absence of patients without leave is common in psychiatric hospitals causing anxiety to staff, relatives and the lay public. This study is an attempt to identify some of the characteristics of patients absconding from the Mental Hospital, Lahore over one year. Absconders were predominantly young males who were compulsorily admitted and diagnosed as cases of schizophrenia. They tended to be single and had history of frequent and a relatively longer period of hospitalisation. Police were more often involved in their admission. Reasons for absconding and implications for management of newly admitted psychiatric patients are discussed