A Study on Self-reliance and Residential Service Needs of Patients with Chronic Mental Illness / 정신신체의학

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: Residential services are provided to help patients with chronic mental illness, but those have some problems because of provider focused services and uniformized training. So the purpose of the study was to explore residential needs of patients with the chronic mental illness such as chronic schizophrenia. METHODS: A survey was conducted on 139 mental illness patients using mental health facilities at Ansan city area in South Korea. We investigated their demographic and social characteristics, the degree of self-reliance and residential service needs. RESULTS: More than half of them had the desire for self-reliance, and they needed job support mostly. They were positive about the use of residential facilities and needed daily living skill and social skill training. Also they preferred day rehabilitation in type of facility. And they wanted to operate in a way that they returned home at the weekend after group home. CONCLUSIONS: For facilitating the recovery of patients with chronic mental illness, it would be necessary to provide individualized residential rehabilitation services and to improve existing residential facilities and programs reflected on the patients' needs.