Significance of personality disorders in the face of drop-outs from psychiatric hospitalizations. The case of selected psychiatric units.

OBJECTIVES: The World Health Organization's estimations indicate that about 50% of patients in well-developed countries may not adhere to long-term therapies. In the field of psychiatry, drop-outs from psychiatric treatment are particularly important. Personality disorders are a significant part of this sphere. The aim of this research was to empirically verify the hypothesis regarding the relation between comorbid personality disorders and drop-outs from treatment among patients of psychiatric wards.

METHODS: This study was a prospective cohort study. 110 patients, hospitalized in 3 different psychiatric wards, were included. Personality disorders were assessed with the Structured Clinical Interview For DSM-IV Personality Disorders (SCID-II). The research was financed by the Polish National Science Center (DEC-2011/01/N/NZ5/05364).

RESULTS: The response rate was 89.1%. 72.56% of patients suffered from personality disorders (SCID-II) (among them the most prevalent were: personality disorder - not otherwise specified - 40.7% and borderline personality disorder - 12.38%; 22.95% of patients dropped out from treatment). However, occurrence of personality disorders was not relevant for those drop-outs. On the other hand, relationships at the level of certain criteria of borderline personality disorders and passive-aggressive personality have been revealed. These relationships became stronger when considered from the perspective of differences in the organization of treatment at individual wards.

CONCLUSIONS: Some personality disorders may play an important role in drop-outs from psychiatric treatment. Presented results require further research.