Health of the Chronically Mentally Ill Who Rejoin the Community: A Community Assessment

Abstract

This article describes findings from a community assessment project on 25 chronically mentally ill individuals who rejoined the community following discharge from psychiatric hospitals. The focus was to identify health concerns or problems and health promotion patterns using Healthy People 2000 as a guiding framework. Findings suggest that most participants found relocation to the community easy. Stress, depression, and abuse were mental health problems reported by participants. Physical health problems included high tobacco use, low exercise level, poor oral health, high-risk sexual behavior, and limited contact with physicians and dentists. Health promotion activities were good sleeping behavior, limited use of alcohol and drugs, and a strong interest in participating in health promotion programs including exercise, stress management, and smoking cessation programs. Interventions to promote the health of the chronically mentally ill and implications for community mental health nurses are discussed.