Differences between psychiatric disorders in the clinical and functional effectiveness of an acute psychiatric day hospital, for acutely ill psychiatric patients.

Abstract Introduction Intensive treatment in acute day-care psychiatric units may represent an efficient alternative to inpatient care. However, there is evidence suggesting that this clinical resource may not be equally effective for every psychiatric disorder. The primary aim of this study was to explore differences between main psychiatric diagnostic groups, in the effectiveness of an acute partial hospitalization program. And, to identify predictors of treatment response. Material and methods The study was conducted at an acute psychiatric day hospital. Clinical severity was assessed using BPRS, CGI, and the HoNOS scales. Main socio-demographic variables were also recorded. Patients were clustered into 4 wide diagnostic groups (i.e.: non-affective psychosis; bipolar; depressive; and personality disorders) to facilitate statistical analyses. Results A total of 331 participants were recruited, 115 of whom (34.7%) were diagnosed with non-affective psychosis, 97 (28.3%) with bipolar disorder, 92 (27.8%) with affective disorder, and 27 (8.2%) with personality disorder. Patients with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder showed greater improvement in BPRS (F = 5.30; P = 0.001) and CGI (F = 8.78; P  Conclusions Intensive care in an acute psychiatric day hospital is feasible and effective for patients suffering from an acute mental disorder. However, this effectiveness differs between diagnostic groups.