Treatment resistance and prolonged length of stay among schizophrenia inpatients in forensic institutions.

Abstract Patients suffering from schizophrenia spectrum disorders are the largest group of forensic inpatients worldwide, therefore the identification of factors that influence how long service users experiencing schizophrenia spend in forensic hospitals is one of the most important research areas in forensic psychiatry. Methods: Analysis of data of 87 schizophrenia inpatients, hospitalized in a medium secure forensic unit. Results: Mental disorders among family members, alcohol or substance dependence diagnosis, the severity of the criminal behavior demonstrated by homicide/homicide attempts and features of treatment resistance as persistent psychotic symptoms and current treatment with >1 antipsychotics was proven to influence the length of stay (LoS).