This report has outlined the background and clinical
history
of
the sixty trainees in the Resocialisation Project and shown
that
they
age,
were
years
a severly 'chronic'
hospitalised
hospitals. percent
and
group generally in terms of
number
of
admissions
to
psychiatric
The mean age of the trainees w a s 41.6 years with sixty
aged over forty years.
average
11.2
years in hospital and had had an average of nine admissions.
The
majority their
of
the trainees had been admitted first to hospital
early
twenties and most had spent a large
adult lives in hospital. a
They had spent on
part
of
in
their
Over half the trainees (5%) had been in
psychiatric hospital or hospitals for at least ten years and
a
third (33.X) had spent at least this amount of time continuously in
hospital.
Furthermore,
63.3
had
been
in
a
psychiatric
hospital (either state or private) other than St. Brendan's. a fifth (21.6%) had been in prison.
Clinically,
Over
the majority of
trainees had had a schizophrenidschizo-affective diagnosis on its own
or in combination with another diagnosis,
and approximtely a
third had active schizophrenic symptomatology.
Educationally
the
disadvantaged.
A
trainees significant
were,
in
general,
severely
number (50%) of all trainees had
experienced some learning difficulties in school and only 20%
a post
primary
experience only
a
qualification.
third (33.3%)
Similarly,
in
terms
of
had little or no work experience
4% had worked after their first
hospitalisation.
had work and
Seventy
percent of all trainees had worked for at least ten years and this work
experience w a s confined in nearly all cases to
or unskilled type work.
semi-skilled