[Patients at a psychiatric residential institution in Djursland]

Due to a reduction in the number of psychiatric hospital beds and the establishment of places at residential institutions, a large number of patients with severe mental illness receive limited attention from psychiatrists and psychiatric nurses. This situation mandates an investigation whether this leads to health-related problems.

All patients at the social-psychiatric residential institution Tangkaercentret were offered an extensive health check, and use of medication as well as somatic and psychiatric morbidity were recorded.

The investigation revealed a group of people with very severe mental illness and several sub-optimally treated bodily diseases. Furthermore, a high incident of violent episodes and psychotic behaviour among the patients and a high use of short admissions among a few of the patients were observed. Metabolic syndrome occurred twice as frequently as in the background population. This may be due to an unhealthy lifestyle and psychopharmacological treatment.

Regular screening for psychiatric and somatic illnesses of such populations should be mandatory to ensure the best possible treatment. In some of the cases, optimal treatment would probably require admission to a long-stay psychiatric ward and use of the options provided by psychiatric legislation.