This report attempts to investigate; i) the statistics and the mode of dropping out due to mental disorders, in comparison with drop outs due to other reasons, especially the tuberculosis drop-out, and ii) give a somewhat more intensive analysis of the mentally disordered drop-out. 121 students, since April 1949 until March 1960, left school sometime during their four academic years in the medical and dental schools. Of 121 drop-outs, 21 were due to mental disorders and 25 due to tuberculosis. During the period of our survey, i.e. between April 1949 and March 1960, the incidence of drop-outs due to tuberculosis have since 1958 dropped to zero, while the drop-out incidence due to mental disorders have been invariable. Recent chemotherapy prevents effectively the exacerbation of tuberculosis, while it has been not so effective to the relapse of mental illness. The mentally disordered showed frequent recurrences of dropping out. Also, the period between leaving and returning of the mentally disordered group was longer than the group suffering from tuberculosis. Of 21 mentally disordered drop-outs, only 11 had returned and graduated, while of the 25 of tuberculous students, 20 had returned and graduated. In brief the drop-out due to mental disorders is a more serious problem than the drop-out due to tuberculosis. One of the most urgent problems facing the student health service of our university is how to prevent the dropping out due to mental disorders. The psychiatric diagnoses of 21 students were schizophrenia, depression, epilepsy and psychopathic personality with its neurotic reaction. The diagnosis of schizophrenia (9 cases) exists in somewhat equal proportions from class to class, while more students of the first year class were given the diagnosis of psychopathic personality with its neu rotic reaction (10 cases). Between of these two groups, there was not so remarkable difference in the base of outcome. Of 21 students, 14 were referred to the clinic attached to the Department of Neuro-Psychiatry of our university. We followed up these 14 cases until December 1965. From this follow-up study, we may conclude that there is a close relationship between patient’s negative attitudes toward the treatment and the subsequent poor outcome. However, we must bear in mind that the attitude toward the psychiatric treatment is not only dependent upon the subject s motivation, but also influenced by the therapist’s attitude. From the analysis of follow-up observations, we can draw the tentative conclusion that in order to prevent the aggravaion of drop-outs due to mental disorders, the psychiatrist should have positive attitude toward contact with the college community.
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