According to the latest annual report Activities of Irish Psychiatric Units and Hospitals 2006 published recently by the Health Research Board (HRB), there were 20,288 admissions to Irish psychiatric units and hospitals during 2006. This is 965 fewer than in 2005, which represents a decrease of 4.7 per cent .

People who were divorced had the highest rate of all admissions (722.3 per 100,000) and first admissions (179.7 per 100,000). Meanwhile, in keeping with the pattern of previous years, a socio-economic breakdown of figures shows that the unskilled occupational group had the highest rate of all admissions (1,050.0 per 100,000) and first admissions (212.6 per 100,000).

Activities of Irish Psychiatric Units and Hospitals 2006 showed that depressive disorders accounted for almost one  in three of all admissions, schizophrenia accounted for one in five admissions, alcoholic disorders accounted for one in every eight admissions and non-voluntary admissions accounted for 11 per cent of all admissions.

In terms of younger people (those aged under 18), a total of 398 under 18s were admitted during the year and 271 of these were first admissions. The average length of stay for children and adolescents admitted and then discharged in 2006 was 23.2 days.

Depressive disorders were the reason that three in 10 under 18s were admitted while schizophrenia was reported by one in every 10 admitted, eight per cent  had neuroses and eight per cent were diagnosed with childhood or adolescent behavioural and emotional disorders.

Comments (0) »

Show/Hide comment form

Name

Email

Title

Comment

Write the displayed characters

Add Comment