Utilization of psychiatric inpatient care in Greece: a nationwide study (1984-1996)

This report examines the trends in the utilization of psychiatric inpatient care for the period 1984-1996, when the implementation of the psychiatric reform programme was initiated in Greece. Admissions in public mental hospitals declined by 7.2%. However discharges have been increased by 30.6% with a parallel decrease of the length of stay by 53.7% followed by an increase in discharges of patients diagnosed as suffering from schizophrenia and affective psychoses by 61.1% and 123.8% respectively. In the private sector a remarkable reduction in both admissions and discharges was noticed. Admissions in psychiatric departments of general hospitals for the same years have been increased by 1054.1%. It seems that the recent deinstitutionalization process resulted in increasing trends in the discharges of patients suffering from psychoses. Additionally, a substantial increase in the number of extramural psychiatric services and rehabilitation places between 1994-1996 was observed. The demand for the mental health care services expressed as the urbanization index was found to be related with mental health professionals and the extramural units ratios. The higher degree of urbanism is, the greater the number of extramural services exist. The models explained variance reached 50.6%.