Schizophrenia Daily News Blog

1 in 7 Hospitalizations related to Brain Disorders (Canada)

One in Seven Hospitalizations in Canada Involve Patients Diagnosed With Mental Illness; Latest mental health data show that patients diagnosed with a mental illness remain in the hospital twice as long as other patients.

A new report from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) reveals that patients with a primary diagnosis of mental illness accounted for 6% of the 2.8 million hospital stays in 2002-2003.

Another 9% of hospital stays involved patients with a non- psychiatric primary diagnosis and an associated mental illness. Combined, these hospital stays accounted for one-third of the total number of days patients spent in Canadian hospitals. These stays were more than twice as long, on average, as stays not involving mental illness.

One significant feature of these particular hospitalizations is that they tend to occur in the principal working years of a person's life. "Most patients with mental illness are hospitalized between the ages of 25 and 55," says Nawaf Madi, Program Lead for Mental Health and Addictions at CIHI. "When you couple this with the finding that hospitalization for mental illness is often necessitated by a period of severe mental instability, from which a patient may take a significant amount of time to recover, you begin to see the toll these types of illnesses can take on some individuals' most productive
years."

Some psychiatric conditions tend to require hospitalization at equally vital, but different, times of life for males and females. For example, men diagnosed with schizophrenia are usually hospitalized in adolescence or early adulthood, interrupting possible academic and early career ambitions.

Hospitalization of female schizophrenia patients is more likely to occur between the ages of 40 and 49, a time when many may be managing the responsibilities of a family and a career.

The report, Hospital Mental Health Services in Canada 2002-2003, examines hospital stays for seven different diagnosis categories of mental illness by focusing on separation rates and lengths of stay. A hospital separation is defined as the discharge or death of an inpatient, and is based on hospital stays. The report found that the majority of these stays were related to mood disorders (34%), schizophrenic and psychotic disorders (21%) or substance- related disorders (14%).

Schizophrenia accounted for the longest average lengths of stay, and
patients with schizophrenia were more likely than any other group to have received treatment from a psychiatric hospital, rather than a general hospital. Though schizophrenia is generally considered to be the most severe of the mental health conditions, mood disorders actually affect a greater percentage of those hospitalized for mental illness. Conditions such as depression and bipolar disorders were the most common diagnoses for mental health hospitalizations in 11 of 12 provinces and territories (excluding only the Northwest Territories, which reported a majority of substance-related disorders).

Fewer mentally ill patients staying in hospital

Inpatient hospital care for individuals living with mental illness is
changing in Canada, with more refined medications and medical treatments, as well as the availability of care through outpatient and community-based services. Between 1994-1995 and 2002-2003, the number of Canadians accessing inpatient mental health services declined from 715 per 100,000 population to 607 per 100,000 population. The average length of stay also dropped, from 66
days to 41 days, over the same period.

Overall, hospitalization remains an important part of treatment for
mental illness, particularly for individuals whose condition is severe. Over 190,000 hospital visits with over 7.7 million days stayed were attributable to a primary diagnosis of mental illness in 2002-2003. The percentage of these patients treated in general hospitals, rather than in psychiatric hospitals,
increased from 82% in 1982-1983, to 87% in 2002-2003.

Hospital data offer an important view of mental health and mental health services in Canada. Data used for the report suggest that those who receive hospital services for psychiatric illness differ from those who live with mental illness, but do not require hospitalization. "It is important to remember that people who receive hospital care for a mental illness represent only some of the people living with a mental illness," says Nawaf Madi. "This report presents a small, but significant, piece of the big picture when it
comes to treating mental illness in Canada."

About CIHI

The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) collects and
analyzes information on health and health care in Canada and makes it publicly available. Canada's federal, provincial and territorial governments created

CIHI as a not-for-profit, independent organization dedicated to forging a common approach to Canadian health information. CIHI's goal: to provide timely, accurate and comparable information. CIHI's data and reports inform health policies, support the effective delivery of health services and raise awareness among Canadians of the factors that contribute to good health.

Source: CIHI, at www.cihi.ca