The First Psychiatric Interview: Patients Who Do and Do Not Come

Abstract

100 patients at a voluntary hospital who kept their first psychiatric appointments were compared on 31 variables with 100 patients who did not. Patients whose problems had become more acute prior to their appointment and those who mentioned some expectation of what was going to happen to them were more likely to have kept the appointments. The findings suggest the need for facilities where there is no waiting and also indicate the importance of quickly educating potential psychiatric patients about the nature of treatment.