Previous studies of the social structure and climate of a psychiatric ward in a general hospital have shown that the utilisation of patient treatment time follows an harmonic distribution. Factors contributing to the process have reference to the patient, his treatment, length of stay and selection. A comparison of 1966 with 1962 shows that the same basic pattern of utilisation is maintained, possibly reflecting quantitatively a community group with extreme difficulties, of which family disruption is one indicator.
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