[The characteristic of population participating in a community-based rehabilitation program].

AIM The difficulties in social functioning of the mentally ill are widely documented in specialist literature. The social affects addressed to the mentally disabled are an attempt to overcome this particular disability. The aim of the presented research is the characterization of the social group participating in a community-based rehabilitation program realized on Warsaw area. METHOD 103 long-term patients with mental disorders provided with a community-based rehabilitation program were the participants in the study. They were not hospitalized at the time when the research was conducted. The following instruments were used: the Questionnaire and Map of Social Support by Bizoń, the individual interview, and the questionnaire especially prepared for the needs of this research. RESULTS The studied group consists of people with a long-standing period of illness, with numerous hospitalizations, constantly remaining under psychiatric care. The tested persons are singles and demanding a strong social support. Their individual social networks of support are sparse and in a large part compensated by therapists from the support institution. The tested group highly values the influence of the local rehabilitation program on their functioning. CONCLUSIONS The chronically mental ill persons show numerous difficulties in their social functioning. Participation in the social support programs protects them against successive hospitalizations. During the last year, preceding the research, the amount of hospitalizations was significantly lower than in the period preceding the taking care by the local systems. It is necessary to treat the local rehabilitation programs as an effective mechanism supporting the functioning of the chronically mental ill people.