Stress management program for psychiatric inpatients

This article provides a detailed description of a stressmanagement program developed and tailored for use with psychiatric inpatients, as the literature points toward the need for such treatment approaches. Twenty-six patients participated in the empirical aspect of the study, 15 treatment and 11 control subjects. Patients in the treatment group improved significantly in terms of obsesive-compulsive behavior and hostility as measured by the SCL-90. Further, improvements were noted in symptoms of depression, anxiety, and endorsement of psychotic symptomatology. Many clinically noticeable, positive changes in affect and behavior were reported by patients and staff as a consequence of the stressmanagement procedure.