[Origin of patients admitted involuntarily from an urban catchment area]

This investigation highlights some aspects of migration of patients between catchment areas.

From January till June 2003 all committed patients admitted from Linz, capital of the Austrian province Upper Austria, were investigated for their origin.

Out of a total of 214 patients 111 (52%) were not native to Linz. Most stemmed from other counties of Upper Austria (55%), 16 (14%) were from other Austrian provinces and the remainder 32 (29%) were from foreign countries. In patients from other counties of Upper Austria 59% were already psychiatric ill before they had moved to Linz. Compared with patients native to Linz they displayed a greater number of psychiatric admissions, a greater number of cumulative hospital days and more often needed some measures of supported housing. More than a quarter of them had moved to Linz in the last 5 years.

Results show that also in a well-established system of community psychiatric care a considerable number of patients is moving towards urban areas.