Voting of hospitalized and ambulatory patients with mental disorders in parliamentary elections.

The authors examined the voting rate among psychiatric inpatients and the voting rate of outpatients, in relation to the severity of their illness. On election day the number of inpatients that voted was recorded in one psychiatric hospital in Israel. For two weeks following the elections outpatients were asked if they voted: 100/271 (36.9%) inpatients and 131/181(72.4%) ambulatory patients voted; 53.8% of the inpatients and 4.7% of the ambulatory patients could not vote because they had no identity cards. Ambulatory patients with no prior hospitalizations had the highest voting rates. The most common reason for not voting among inpatients in Israel is lack of identity cards.

Nonmedication smoking reduction program for inpatients with chronic schizophrenia: a randomized control design study.

People with schizophrenia are more likely to smoke, and to smoke more frequently, than those without schizophrenia. Furthermore, inpatients smoke even more frequently compared with those living in the community. In light of this, we implemented and assessed a smoking reduction intervention using a wide array of behavioral group techniques and methods in chronic hospitalized schizophrenic clients. Using a controlled design, we randomly assigned chronic schizophrenic clients to either a five-session smoking reduction intervention (n = 35) or a waiting list (WL; n = 18). We assessed self-reported smoking behavior, clinical status (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression; Clinical Global Impression Scale for Psychosis), subjective quality of life (Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire-abbreviated version), and weight before and 3 months after the intervention. The intervention successfully reduced the number of cigarettes smoked compared with nonintervention. No clinical worsening or weight gain was observed. Behavioral group-oriented smoking reduction interventions can significantly reduce smoking behavior in hospitalized chronic clients with schizophrenia.

Psychiatric inpatient and staff attitudes regarding smoking reduction.

AIMS: We assessed the interest of psychiatric inpatients and the staff in a smoking reduction program. METHODS: Inpatients, nurses, social workers and psychologists at a university-affiliated psychiatric hospital completed questionnaires addressing attitudes towards smoking and the desire to reduce smoking. RESULTS: 52% of the inpatients (N = 160) and 37.3% of the staff members (N = 41) reported that they smoked. Mean number of cigarettes for patients was 21.4 cigarettes per day for men, and 18.8 for women; 74 patients (46.2% of the smokers) and 96 staff members (88% of the smokers) expressed interest in participating in a smoking reduction program. No correlation was found between the rate of smoking among the staff and the rate of smoking of the patients in any given department. CONCLUSIONS: Psychiatric inpatients and their caregivers who smoke are interested in reducing the number of cigarettes that they smoke. Further study regarding the initiation of therapeutic smoking reduction programs in inpatient settings is warranted.

Israeli psychiatric inpatients go to the polls.

In 1996, mobile polls were introduced in Israel, enabling physically and emotionally ill inpatients to vote. We surveyed the rate of participation of inpatients at Lev-Hasharon Mental Health Center in parliamentary elections, their feelings regarding voting, and the nature of their vote, compared with the general population. One hundred eighteen of 306 (38.6%) patients voted compared with 63.8% of the general population. Forty-nine more patients (16%) wanted to vote but were unable to for technical reasons. More patients voted in the open than the closed wards (chi=14.5; df=1; p=.001). Most patients reported positive subjective feelings, a sense of responsibility (39%), belonging to the general community (28%), and pride (22%) after voting. Psychiatric inpatients voted similarly to the general population, though their percentage of voters was significantly lower. This discrepancy can be accounted for by lack of concern and ineligibility due to lack of identification documents that may reflect fundamental illness-related problems.