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Patient or client? The opinions of people attending a psychiatric clinic

Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Science, Royal Free and University College Medical School, University College London, Royal Free Campus, Rowland Hill Street, London NW3 2PF

D. Hayes, Senior House Officer in Psychiatry

Department of Psychiatry, Royal Free Hospital, Pond Street, Hampstead, London

D. J. Ames, Consultant Psychiatrist

University of Melbourne, Department of Psychiatry, Royal Park Hospital, Private Bag No. 3, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia

See editorial, p. 441, this issue.

AIMS AND METHOD

The use of the term ‘client’ has become increasingly popular among non-medical staff in psychiatric practice. We sought to describe the preferences and attitudes of people attending a psychiatric clinic to the terms patient and client. A questionnaire and case note review was employed.

RESULTS

147 people completed the questionnaire, of these 77% preferred the term patient. There was no subgroup that preferred the term client. Attitudes towards the two terms were significantly different, with a greater antipathy demonstrated towards the term client.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

The majority of people attending a psychiatric clinic prefer the use of the term patient; the term client is disliked.

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				A. Hodgkiss User, client or patient: what do we call people receiving treatment for mental health problems? Psychiatr. Bull., December 1, 2000; 24(12): 441 - 441. [Full Text]