Schizophrenia: A Statistical Profile

This article presents the latest information available from the National Reporting Program for Mental Health Statistics on the dis-tribution and characteristics of persons with schizophrenia served by organized, specialty inpatient, outpatient, and partial care mental health programs. Results are pre-sented separately for persons under care at one point in time and for persons admitted over a 1-year period, in order to examine the potential for change in each type of care. Findings show that about 900,000 persons with schizophrenia were served in 1986; that inpatient and outpatient programs were rela-tively equivalent in total numbers served, but that considerably more patient turnover occurred in inpa-tient programs; and that partial care programs, although small, were evolving as a locus of care for persons with schizophrenia. Some variations were observed among the different types of organizations offering each type of care, and characteristics of clients/patients that could lead to changes in each type of care were evident. Overall, the findings present a useful com-posite picture of specialty mental health care for persons with schizo-phrenia. The need for longitudinal, prospective research is noted. Care of persons with schizophrenia remains a predominant concern of the specialty mental health service delivery system for several reasons. First, persons with schizophrenia constitute a large group of Ameri-cans. Results from the Epidemi-ological Catchment Area Project suggest that the prevalence of schizophrenia is approximately 1.5 million persons in a 6-month period (Locke and Regier 1985), about 1 out of every 100 adult Americans