[Hospitalization trends of neuropsychiatric disorders in a middle-income country]

Neuropsychiatric disorders represent one of the first causes of disability worldwide. Recognizing the main causes for hospitalization may allow the implementation of interventions to prevent hospitalization and promote ambulatory care.

To describe the trends of mental disorders requiring hospitalization in a neuropsychiatric referral center of a middle-income country.

Observational, cross-sectional, and analytic study. Information was obtained from dismissal letters and from the Department of Epidemiology database in a 16-year period at a neuropsychiatric referral center. Diagnoses and trends through this period were obtained using Spearman's correlation.

Schizophrenia represented most of the cases (19%), followed by bipolar disorder (13%). Psychotic disorders (PD) were found to contribute the most to the length of stay (43.76%), followed by mood disorders (MD) (39.07%). Schizophrenia-related dismissals diminished through the years (r = -751; p = 0.001), whereas depression-related disorders increased (r = 0.857; p < 0.001).

PD are the first cause of neuropsychiatric hospitalization. MD have an increasing frequency of hospitalization. Longer-stay disorders reflect global and economic burden of disease trends. These results might guide interventions that reduce hospital-based models of care, which represent a great burden in low and middle-income countries. Studies aiming to explain the trends reported are needed.