EDUCATIONAL-LEVEL AND HOSPITAL USE IN MENTAL-DISORDERS - A POPULATION-BASED STUDY

This population-based study presents socioeconomic differences in psyc hiatric inpatient care by diagnosis. Inpatient care among the Finnish population aged 25-64 years was studied using data from the Finnish Na tional Hospital Discharge Register. All major mental disorders in the ICD-9 were included in the study. The socioeconomic status of individu al patients was defined by years of education in the population census . Discharge rates, first-time admission rates and hospitalization risk were usually 2- to 4-fold higher in the low educational group compare d with the highly educated population. The socioeconomic gradient was steepest for schizophrenia. No gradient was observed for major affecti ve disorders. However, bipolar disorder was most common in the highest educational category. For most conditions, the socioeconomic gradient among women was lower than among men. In Finland hospitalization was more common among low than high socioeconomic groups for most mental d isorders and most indicators of inpatient care. Most of these differen ces are fairly consistent with previous data on socioeconomic gradient s in the prevalence of mental disorders.