Mental retardation is common phenomena in general society. Mentally impaired patients have weaker adaptive mechanisms in comparison with general society and more of ten suffer from psychiatric disorders. The aim of nowadays functioning environmental model of psychiatric care, dealing with mentally retardate patients as well, is to not only improve the quality of life but also decrease the number and duration of hospitalization in psychiatric wards.
The aim of the paper: To describe the determinant factors of repeated psychiatric hospitalizations among mentally retardation patients?
Material and methods: The medical documentation of patients hospitalized in Babiński's Hospital in Lodz in 2006 with diagnosis of mental retardation (F70-F79 according to ICD-10) was the material of study. The patients hospitalized throughout the year 2006 with co morbid psychiatric diagnosis as well as those with only stated mental retardation were taken into account. The analysis was based on questionnaire specially prepared for that paper. The results were statistically analyzed.
Results: Analysis of repeated hospitalizations in examined group of patients showed that more than two thirds of patients was hospitalized more than once and women were statistically more repeatedly hospitalized. Mentally retardation patients in light degree and those living with their families were more often repeatedly hospitalized however no statistical importance was found.
Conclusions: Analysis of results allowed to form the following conclusions: (1) repeated hospitalizations are common phenomena among mentally retardation patients, (2) statistical importance was found between repeated hospitalizations and sex of mentally retardation patients, (3) there is no statistically import ant deference between phenomena of repeated hospitalizations and degree of mental retardation as well as the place of accommodation.