Ten-year population-based retrospective study of psychiatric admission trend of mental disorders in Hong Kong

Abstract

Purpose: Community mental health services have been under development in Hong Kong over the past decade. This study investigated the psychiatric admission trend of mental disorders in the past ten years. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of psychiatric admissions of mental disorders from 2005 to 2014 in Hong Kong. Information of psychiatric inpatients and outpatients were obtained for the following broad diagnostic groups, using the international classification of diseases, 10th revision codes: substance use disorders (F10–19), schizophrenia (F20–29), mood disorders (F30–39) and neurotic disorders (F40–49). Primary outcomes were admission rates per annum of each broad diagnostic groups calculated by using number of inpatients as numerator and number of outpatients as denominator for each year. The admission rates between 2005 and 2014 of each broad diagnostic group were compared. Results: Admission rates of mental disorders had been decreased from 2005 to 2014 in Hong Kong (substance use disorders: 30.7% to 29.2%; schizophrenia: 19.4% to 17.7%; mood disorders: 9.0% to 5.5%; anxiety disorders: 4.1% to 3.0%). The proportion of compulsory admissions had been decreased for all mental disorders (schizophrenia: 18.4% to 17.3%; mood disorders: 13.9% to 13.2%; neurotic disorders: 15.0% to 11.9%), except for substance use disorders, which increased from 14.8% to 19.7%. Conclusion: After the development of community mental health services, lower proportion of people with mental disorders requires psychiatric inpatient treatment when compared to ten years ago. Early intervention of mental disorders in the community may help to reduce unnecessary psychiatric admission.