Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe the clinical characteristics and related comorbid conditions of psychiatric patients admitted to residential facilities (RFs) and their impact on the levels of functioning of such patients.
Methods: We assessed 426 patients admitted to residential facilities, by using SCID-I, SCID-II, BPRS, GAF and DAS.
Results: The most common diagnostic category was schizophrenia/psychotic disorders (41.8%), followed by affective disorders (35.4%), personality disorders (14.1%), and other disorders (8.7%). In addition 33.3% had a psychiatric comorbidity, and 62.6% had a medical comorbidity. Low levels of functioning were significantly correlated with both medical and psychiatric comorbid conditions.
Conclusions: Comorbidity is common in patients requiring long-term residential care. Thus improved detection and treatment of these conditions in people with severe mental illnesses will have significant benefits for their psychosocial functioning and overall quality of life.