The pattern of psychiatric admissions to a hospital for people with a learning disability in the Grampian region between 1989 and 1991.
It is known that a substantial proportion of people with a learning disability also have associated emotional problems in the form of psychiatric illness and disturbed behaviour. In the UK various health authorities are developing in-patient facilities for assessment and treatment of this group of people by default rather than by planning. We report the prospective findings of psychiatric admissions to a hospital for learning disabled people in the Grampian region of Scotland over a three year period between 1.1.89 to 31.12.91. Nine beds were deemed necessary for a health district with a general population of 500,000. Average bed occupancy was 66.7%. The most common conditions leading up to an admission was disturbed behaviour followed by affective disorder and psychoses. The majority of the admissions were of adults with a mild to moderate degree of learning disability as opposed to severe and profound learning disability. A hard-core group of patients had many re-admissions. Some acute admissions became long-stays (over one year), although average stay of admissions were between four to six weeks.
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Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Wales College of Medicine, Cardiff.
D000328:Adult; D001509:Bed Occupancy; D005260:Female; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007859:Learning Disabilities / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000150:complications; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000150:complications; D012606:Scotland; D012920:Social Behavior Disorders / Q000150:complications