The pattern of inpatient psychiatry admissions at a general hospital psychiatry unit in South India: A retrospective study

BACKGROUND: Mental illnesses are becoming a major health issue across the world. The availability of inpatient facilities for mentally ill patients is very much limited in developing countries such as India. AIM: This study was aimed to explore the pattern of psychiatric admissions at a general hospital psychiatry unit (GHPU) in South India. METHODOLOGY: The study was conducted at a multispecialty tertiary care hospital in South India. A retrospective, chart-based study design was adopted to achieve the objectives. All inpatient case records available from the department of psychiatry, the medical records department, and the electronic hospital information system of the institute were reviewed between April 2006 and March 2016. RESULTS: A total of 3082 patients were admitted as psychiatry inpatients during the 10-year study period, representing an average of 308.2 admissions per calendar year. The majority of inpatients were male (n = 1824; 59.2%). Concerning diagnostic categories, mood disorders were accounted for 33.6% of admissions, followed by psychotic disorders (26.4%) and substance use disorders (19.3%), respectively. The median length of hospital stay was 14 days (range 0–163 days). A statistically significant seasonality pattern was noticed for mood disorders (December to February) and anxiety and neurotic disorders (August to October). CONCLUSION: It is obvious that treatment-seeking attitude among individuals with mental illnesses is increasing and the awareness regarding treatment aspects is also increasing among the general public. Hence, there is a need to improve the existing resources to facilitate intensive management for better treatment outcomes and this, in turn, will enhance the quality of life of mentally ill individuals.