Subjective quality of life of recently discharged Nigerian psychiatric patients.

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of the study were to examine the perceptions of recently recovered psychiatric patients on their feeling of well-being, their satisfaction with domains of living experience, and the correlates of subjective quality of life (QOL).

METHOD: Patients (n = 118, aged 18-60) with schizophrenia and major affective disorders were assessed with the 26- item WHOQOL instrument, 2 weeks after discharge. Satisfaction with the items was graded as follows: dissatisfaction (< 50% positive appreciation), bare satisfaction (50-65 %), moderate (66-74 %), and highest satisfaction (> or = 75 %). In the six domains of QOL, patients were categorized as high, average or poor, based on domain mean score plus/minus 1 SD.

RESULTS: Items of highest satisfaction included overall sense of well-being and satisfaction with self; satisfaction with personal relationships and ability to work were moderate; while there was dissatisfaction with adequacy of money to meet needs, dependence on treatment and sex life. At least two-thirds of the subjects were categorized as having average QOL in each of the six domains of living experience. There were no significant associations between psychiatric diagnosis, socio-demographic characteristics and QOL.

CONCLUSION: Our data support the impression that effective medical treatment is the first step to ensure QOL. Subjective QOL ratings realistically reflect the strengths and weaknesses of socio-cultural circumstances and patients' perceived personal qualities. High subjective sense of well-being should be a tool in public mental health education to dispel the gloom of psychiatric outcome and combat stigma.