Child-young psychiatric in­patients. Descriptive study

Abstract

Objectives. It is to evaluate the needs of care for patients under 18 in the in the Psychiatry Unit of the Universitary Hospital in Valladolid.

Methodology. A descriptive study is made. Every in patient who was less than 18 in the psychiatry Unit of the Universitary Hospital in Valladolid (N=88: 56 women and 32 men) are studied from 1988 to 1992. The population characteristics, method used, care and framework are described. Results. The results are joined in 15 variables which are anlyzed about epidemiological and clinical subjects. The sociodemographic variables were main age (16.4 + 1.4 years) status (94,3% singles), type of job (67% students and 13.6% unqualified workers), place of born and life (urban) and, at last, the socio-economic statius was low. The in-comes during the years, months or days of week show a single pattern which must be evaluated in future papers. Patients were sent by the psychiatry (90%) and the in-come was demanded by the parents and family (52%) or family doctor (31%) and their procedence was the child and adolescent psychiatry unit (29%) or the emergency services (49%). The main three reasons for the in-come were the suicide attempts (44%) agressive seizures (24%) and serious feeding diseases (36%). The DSM-III-R diagnosis were 309.x (29%), 307.1 y 5x (23%). The psychopharmacological and psychoterapical treatments were studied and the authors observe that 74% of patients were better after in-come (78% of men and 93% of women). 26% in men and 39% in women had to in-come again because they relapsed. Also the increase of the symptomatology was a cause to in-come in 14% men and 19% women. The paper presents 5 tables and 4 figures.