2023 Volume 42 Issue 1 Pages 34-42
This study conducted a scoping review to identify the content and outcomes of occupational therapy interventions for people with mental disorders from the early stages of their hospitalization in Japan. Ten case reports and four interventional studies were identified by both database and hand search. Early occupational therapy for people with mental disorders often began in the second or third week of hospitalization and lasted from two to three months, and most of the assessments were related to psychiatric symptoms, occupational performance, and interpersonal interactions. Interventions aimed at improving cognitive psychological functioning, health management skills, activities of daily living, and social adjustment skills were implemented–most of them as individual interventions. The main outcomes were improvements in psychiatric symptoms, cognitive function, functional independence, and motivation, but the purpose of the group program was unclear, and there was a lack of reports on the outcomes of the occupation. Future studies should clarify the purpose of the group program and verify the effect on the occupation.
