Background: Compliance with outpatient treatment can reduce the use of psychiatric inpatient services by people with severe mental disorders. In developing countries, socio-economic factors may be associated with compliance with outpatient treatment.
Methods: A 2-year prospective cohort study was conducted of 99 patients with non-affective functional psychoses who were discharged from hospital. Standardized assessments were used for psychopathology, social functioning and use of psychiatric services.
Results: Forty-two patients (42.4%) missed all outpatient appointments for at least 2 consecutive months. Household crowding was the only variable associated with poor compliance, patients living in very crowded homes being more than twice as likely to show poor compliance as those living in less crowded homes.
Conclusions: In large urban centres in developing countries, strategies to improve compliance with outpatient treatment targeted towards those living in overcrowded households may reduce use of psychiatric beds.