What is the Prevailing Diagnosis on Admission Into Adult Psychiatric Wards? A Meta-analysis of Trends in the United Kingdom

Abstract

Introduction

There seems to be an upsurge in psychiatric admissions related to female patients with borderline personality disorder. Does this reflect the actual trend?

Objectives

Study of the typology of admission into acute psychiatric wards for an adult population.

Aims

To understand the trend of actual psychopathology in the general population admitted into psychiatric wards.

Methods

A total population of 197 psychiatric admissions was diagnosed in the period March 2015–March 2016 in a general psychiatric ward in the United Kingdom. The four major diagnostic categories were: personality disorder (mostly inclusive of borderline p.d.) (n = 77), paranoid schizophrenia (n = 24), schizoaffective (n = 11) and other (n = 82). Meta-analysis of the population analyzed the results. Gender was divided into 82 male and 125 female admissions, with 181 informal admissions, 68 under Sections of the Mental Health Act, and 5 under recall from Community Treatment Order.

Results

Meta-analysis (Fig. 1) of the whole study showed a statistically significant heterogeneity in results with Tau squared t² = 0.031, Cochrane's Q (df = 3) = 141.90, P < .001, and I² = 97.87, a prevalence of borderline personality disorder over other diagnoses; a prevalence of female over male admissions, (t² = .02, Q (df = 1) = 18.67, P < .001, I² = 94.64), and a prevalence of patients admitted informally (t² = 0.131, Q (df = 2) = 586.366, P < .001, I² = 99.65).

Conclusions

The prevailing population of acute psychiatric wards for the general adult population is females who are admitted informally with diagnosis of borderline personality disorder.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Fig. 1 Meta-analysis of the whole study.