Association between length of hospital stay and implementation of discharge planning in acute psychiatric inpatients in Japan.

Background: Japan has introduced an acute psychiatric care unit to the public healthcare insurance program, but its requirement of a shorter length of stay could lead to discharges without proper discharge planning. The aim of this study was to examine the association between the implementation of discharge planning and the length of stay of acute psychiatric inpatients in Japan.

Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study included 449 patients discharged from the 'psychiatric emergency ward' of 66 hospitals during a two-week period from March 7 to 20, 2011.

Association between parents' trust in mental health professionals and disengagement from psychiatric service within the first 6 months of initial treatment of schizophrenia.

Aim: To investigate the association between parents' encounter with reliable mental health professionals and disengagement from initial treatment among patients with schizophrenia.

Methods: This study was a part of the Reaching People Early Tokyo Survey. Participants were recruited from groups for family members of people with mental ill-health around Tokyo.

[Home visits for social withdrawal cases in community mental health and child welfare services].

Home visits are one of the intervention and assistance methods anticipated to be useful in cases of social withdrawal. This study aims at investigating the current status of home visits that are carried out in the regional mental health and child welfare sectors, targeting socially withdrawn adolescents, and at examining the efficacy of this method. We conducted a survey using questionnaires targeting 59 institutions, such as public health centers, health and welfare offices, and child guidance centers, and found that home visits were carried out by public health nurses and child welfare personnel in about 20% of the adolescent social withdrawal cases.