Self-reported symptoms and treatment outcome among non-offending involuntary inpatients

The mediating effects of patient legal status on the accuracy of self-reported psychiatric symptoms have not been systematically explored. Problematically, involuntary hospitalization may be associated with a decreased willingness to accurately report symptoms, which may negatively impact choice of treatment intervention and subsequent treatment outcome. The following study examined the association of patient legal status with self-reported psychiatric symptoms and treatment outcome. Self-report data (BDI and SCL-90-R) and clinician-based ratings (BPRS-A) were collected from 131 inpatients during an index period of 8 months. The results showed involuntarily admitted patients endorsed fewer psychiatric symptoms both on the SCL-90-R and on the BDI. This finding was specific to patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, and did not generalize to patients with clinical depression. BPRS-A ratings did not differ between the voluntary and involuntary groups, suggesting an inherent difference among patients...