[Involuntary admissions in accordance to the Mental Health Act (PsychKG) - what are the strongest predictors?].
OBJECTIVE
Involuntary psychiatric admissions under the Mental Health Act increased significantly nationwide. Little is known, however, about the influencing factors of this phenomenon.


METHODS
The aim of this regional cross-sectional study in North Rhine-Westphalia was to compare voluntary and involuntary psychiatric admissions (under the PsychKG NRW) regarding personal, institutional, social-psychiatric and demographic characteristics. A retrospective analysis of hospital admission registers over a period of 6 years with over 200 000 cases was conducted.


RESULTS
Elderly patients with dementia were most frequently involuntarily admitted. The existence of a locked ward in hospitals did not per se increase involuntary admissions, whereas the scope and quality of local social-psychiatric services had a major impact.


CONCLUSIONS
Social-psychiatric services and home-treatment must be strengthened to achieve lower involuntary admission rates and to further improve the quality of mental health care all over Germany.
LWL-Forschungsinstitut für Seelische Gesundheit am LWL-Universitätsklinikum Bochum.
Georg
G
Juckel
LWL-Forschungsinstitut für Seelische Gesundheit am LWL-Universitätsklinikum Bochum.
Ida
I
Haußleiter
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D003134:Commitment of Persons with Psychiatric Disorders / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003158:Community Psychiatry / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005104:Expert Testimony / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D016555:Matched-Pair Analysis; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment