# The Effectiveness of Psychiatric Day Centres: Longitudinal Pilot Study

## TL;DR

This study shows that attending psychiatric day centres can improve mental health outcomes for people with severe mental illness.

## Contribution

The study provides the first empirical evidence of the effectiveness of psychiatric day centres in improving psychosocial and mental health outcomes.

## Key findings

- Significant improvements were observed in psychosocial participation, quality of life, and symptom severity.
- Large effect sizes were found for all measured outcomes after three months of attendance.
- Key goals like daily routines and social contacts were linked to recovery support.

## Abstract

Day centres provide low-threshold support for people with severe and prolonged mental illness. However, their effectiveness has not yet been empirically evaluated. This study examines whether regular attendance at day centres improves mental health outcomes. Two surveys were conducted: a cross-sectional survey of 87 service users and a longitudinal study of 16 new admissions (assessments at baseline, one month, and three months after admission). Psychosocial participation limitations (IMET), quality of life (MANSA), symptom severity (SCL-K-9, PHQ-9), self-esteem (G-SISE) and self-efficacy (ASKU) were measured. Descriptive statistics and the Wilcoxon-signed-rank test were used for analysis. Three primary goals for attending a day centre were most important: daily routines, social contacts, and meaningful activities. Significant improvements (p < 0.05) were observed in all outcomes, with large effect sizes (r = > 0.5). This study provides initial evidence that the use of day centres supports recovery from mental illness by restoring key psychosocial functions.