A Comparison of Aftercare Programs: Preliminary Report

technique described by Pasamanick, Scarpitti, & Dinitz (1967), who reported that they were able to maintain 77% first-episode "schizophrenics" in the community, without hospitalization, through home visits plus chemotherapy. During the development of the Huntsville-Madison County Mental Health Center's aftercare program, several problems with previously hospitalized clients became apparent. First, some patients did not attend office -centered therapy sessions: absences were as high as 40% a week. Second, they often failed to take psychotropic drugs as prescribed, with the result that