Age differences of psychiatric inpatients presenting with physical complications

We reviewed the records of 292 inpatients in the psychiatric ward of Kagoshima University Hospital who were referred from other medical facilities over a 5-year period in order to clarify age differences in the reason for referral. Patients were classified into groups of physically and mentally ill individuals based on indications for admission. Both groups were further divided into four subgroups based on age. The incidence of inpatients with physical illnesses increased with age. Conditions related to pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium occurred at high frequency in female patients in the 20- to 39-year-old subgroup. Individuals in the 40- to 59-year-old and in the > or = 60 years subgroups suffered more frequently from neoplasms. The proportion of patients manifesting a defective state in all age subgroups with the exception of the under 19-year-old subgroup was significantly higher in the physical illness group than in the mental illness group. The proportion of patients in a depressive state in the > or = 60 years subgroup was significantly higher in the mental illness group than in the physical illness group. Hence, it is necessary to find a method to be able to cope with psychiatric patients with physical complications to solve this problem.