Forty years of a psychiatric day hospital / Quarenta anos de um hospital de dia de psiquiatria

INTRODUCTION: Day hospitals in psychiatry are a major alternative to inpatient care today, acting as key components of community and social psychiatry. Objective: To study trends in the use of psychiatric day hospitals over the last decades of the 20th century and the first decade of the 21st century, focusing on patient age, sex, and diagnostic group, using data from Centro Hospitalar São João, Porto, Portugal. METHODS: Data corresponding to years 1970 to 2009 were collected from patient files. Patients were classified into seven diagnostic groups considering their primary diagnoses only. RESULTS: Mean age upon admission rose from 32.7±12.1 years in the second half of the 1970s to 43.5±12.2 years in 2005-2009 (p for trend < 0.001). Most patients were female (63.2%), however their proportion decreased from nearly 70% in the 1970s to 60% in the first decade of the 21st century. In males, until the late 1980s, neurotic disorders (E) were the most common diagnosis, accounting for more than one third of admissions. In the subsequent years, this proportion decreased, and the number of admissions for schizophrenia (C) exceeded 50% in 2004- 2009. In females, until the late 1980s, affective disorders (D) and neurotic disorders (E), similarly distributed, accounted for most admissions. From the 1990s on, the proportion of neurotic disorders (E) substantially decreased, and affective disorders (D) came to represent more than 50% of all admissions. CONCLUSIONS: Mean age upon admission rose with time, as did the percentage of female admissions, even though the latter tendency weakened in the last 10 years assessed. There was also an increase in the proportion of patients with schizophrenia. .

INTRODUÇÃO: Os hospitais de dia em psiquiatria representam atualmente uma das principais alternativas ao internamento, atuando como componentes chave na psiquiatria comunitária e social. OBJETIVO: Avaliar tendências na utilização de um hospital de dia no período compreendido entre as últimas décadas do século 20 e a primeira década do século 21, com foco em idade, sexo e grupo diagnóstico, usando dados do Centro Hospitalar São João, Porto, Portugal. MÉTODOS: Dados correspondentes aos anos 1970 a 2009 foram coletados dos prontuários clínicos. Os pacientes foram classificados em sete grupos diagnósticos, tendo em conta o diagnóstico principal. Resultados: A idade média na admissão aumentou de 32.7±12.1 anos na segunda metade da década de 1970 para 43.5±12.2 anos em 2005-2009 (p < 0.001). A maioria dos pacientes era do sexo feminino (63.2%), no entanto sua proporção diminuiu de cerca de 70% na década de 1970 para 60% na primeira década do século 21. Nos homens, até o final dos anos 1980, o grupo das perturbações neuróticas (E) era o diagnóstico mais comum, representando mais de um terço das admissões. Durante os anos seguintes, essa proporção diminuiu, e o número de admissões por esquizofrenia (C) alcançou mais de 50% no período de 2004-2009. Nas mulheres, até o final dos anos 1980, as perturbações afetivas (D) e as perturbações neuróticas (E), distribuídas similarmente, respondiam pela maioria das admissões. A partir dos anos 1990, a proporção das perturbações neuróticas (E) diminuiu substancialmente, e as perturbações afetivas (D) passaram a corresponder a mais de 50% do total das admissões. Conclusões: A idade média na admissão ...

Forty years of a psychiatric day hospital.

INTRODUCTION: Day hospitals in psychiatry are a major alternative to inpatient care today, acting as key components of community and social psychiatry. OBJECTIVE: To study trends in the use of psychiatric day hospitals over the last decades of the 20th century and the first decade of the 21st century, focusing on patient age, sex, and diagnostic group, using data from Centro Hospitalar São João, Porto, Portugal. METHODS: Data corresponding to years 1970 to 2009 were collected from patient files. Patients were classified into seven diagnostic groups considering their primary diagnoses only. RESULTS: Mean age upon admission rose from 32.7±12.1 years in the second half of the 1970s to 43.5±12.2 years in 2005-2009 (p for trend < 0.001). Most patients were female (63.2%), however their proportion decreased from nearly 70% in the 1970s to 60% in the first decade of the 21st century. In males, until the late 1980s, neurotic disorders (E) were the most common diagnosis, accounting for more than one third of admissions. In the subsequent years, this proportion decreased, and the number of admissions for schizophrenia (C) exceeded 50% in 2004- 2009. In females, until the late 1980s, affective disorders (D) and neurotic disorders (E), similarly distributed, accounted for most admissions. From the 1990s on, the proportion of neurotic disorders (E) substantially decreased, and affective disorders (D) came to represent more than 50% of all admissions. CONCLUSIONS: Mean age upon admission rose with time, as did the percentage of female admissions, even though the latter tendency weakened in the last 10 years assessed. There was also an increase in the proportion of patients with schizophrenia.