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KMID : 0607419960010010012
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Mental Health Services
1996 Volume.1 No. 1 p.12 ~ p.20
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Vocational Rehabilitation for Chronic Schizophrenics in Korea
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Lee Young-Moon
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Abstract
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Vocational rehabilitation programs have been reported as effective treatment methods for chronic mental patients. In Korea, however, homeless mental patients are known as notoriously unrehabilitable vocationally.
The author attempted to apply partial vocational rehabilitation program for institutionalized homeless mental patients in coordination with local private manufacturing companies. It was a first such endeavor for chronic homeless mentally ill patients in Korea.
Total 126 schizophrenics participated in this program. Most of them failed in previous attempts to find families to discharge or to place them out in various social agencies in communities. The aim of the program is to provide an independent living place and to find a job for them and to supervise them for vocational adjustment. The entire duration of the program was for 10 months: 1 month for the diagnostic assessment, 6 months for the sheltered employment phase and 3 month of transitional employment phase. During the initial period, the work required simple manual skills. It was an easy work to learn ad safe. As time goes by, they undertook complicated works that required more skills. However, they adjusted well vocationally and sociality.
Among the total of 126 patients participated, 47 patients dropped out
937%). 68 of remaining 79 patients were successfully employed by the company as full-time regular worker after the 10 month program(54%), and they moved into the living quarter of the company. The result suggests that a vocational rehabilitation program can be applied effectively for homeless mentally ill patients providing that it is designed to suit to the cultural characteristics of the community in Korea.
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KEYWORD
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Vocational Rehabilitation, Chronic schizophrenics
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