The Information Services Division Scotland recently published the statistics on mental health inpatient activity in the country for the period from 1 April 1997 to 31 March 2019.
Key findings from the report are as follows:
- A total of 47,790 mental health discharges were recorded in 2018-2019, which was 3 per cent higher than the figure recorded in 2017/2018. It was also the highest since 1997-1998.
- There has been an increase in discharges for mental health conditions from non-psychiatric specialties since 2012-2013.
- The number of discharges from non-psychiatric specialties has exceeded discharges from psychiatric specialties from 2016-2017.
- In 2018-2019, mental and behavioural disorders due to psychoactive substance use accounted for the highest number of mental health discharges.
- There has been a steady decline in psychiatric specialties for inpatient treatment of mood (affective) disorders since 1997-1998.
- In 2018-2019, the age group that most commonly experienced mental health inpatient care was 40-64 years (35%).
- Fifty-seven per cent of patients experiencing mental health inpatient care in 2018-2019 were females.
- Individuals living in areas with the highest deprivation had a three-fold higher likelihood of experiencing inpatient psychiatric care than those living in the least deprived areas.
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