SOCIAL DEPRIVATION AND PSYCHIATRIC ADMISSION RATES AMONG DIFFERENT DIAGNOSTIC GROUPS

Background. in the search for population-based indicators of need for mental health services, psychiatric admission rates have been correlat ed with sociodemographic variables. We explored such correlations for different diagnostic groups. Method. Admissions data for the 19 distri cts in the North West Region were derived from the Korner Episode Syst em for 1992/3 and divided into eight broad diagnostic groups using ICD -9 codes. Admission rates per 1000 were correlated with measures of de privation derived from the 1991 census data and with standardised mort ality ratios. For the two largest diagnostic groups, correlations with age-standardised admission rates were also calculated. Results. For s chizophrenia/delusional disorder, eight of the 10 sociodemographic mea sures were significantly correlated with admission rates (Pearson's r 0.52-0.79). On all measures these correlations were greater than those seen for total mental illness. Significant positive correlations of a lower order were seen for organic brain syndromes and mania. Admissio n rates for depression, personality disorder and substance misuse were not significantly correlated with any of the sociodemographic measure s. Admission rates for neurotic illness were negatively correlated wit h all deprivation measures, with the negative correlation statisticall y significant at the 5% level for ethnic composition and overcrowding. Standardising admission rates for age acid repeating the analysis aft er removal of influential data points did not greatly alter these find ings. Conclusions. The association between psychiatric admission rates and measures of deprivation varies considerably with diagnosis. Measu res of social deprivation may indicate need for services for patients with psychotic disorders; admission rates for non-psychotic illnesses may reflect the availability of beds rather than need.