CHANGES IN PREVALENCE AND COMORBIDITY IN A TOTAL POPULATION OF PATIENTS WITH PSYCHOTIC DISORDERS IN NORWEGIAN PSYCHIATRIC-HOSPITALS

Diagnostic profiles, point prevalences, sex and age distribution, and comorbidity are presented from a questionnaire-based study of the tota l hospitalized Norwegian psychiatric population of patients with psych otic disorders by 1 November 1984 (n=3190) and 1994 (n=1782). This rep resents 77% and 69% of the total number of inpatients (all diagnoses), respectively, and indicates that the hospitals have reduced the prior ity for patients with psychotic disorders. In this 10-year period the number of hospitalized patients was reduced by 37%. The consequences o f this development is that the duration of stay has decreased, the pat ients have been younger, and more of the patients are men. The reporte d frequency of substance abuse increased from 8% to 14% in the index p eriod. Of the patients with psychotic disorders 30% were reported to h ave suicidal thoughts, threats, or attempts before or during the index hospitalization in 1994, ranging from 19% to 48% according to diagnos tic category.