title: Sociodemographic and Clinical Characteristics of Psychiatric Inpatients Hospitalized Involuntarily and Voluntarily in a Mental Health Hospital.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In this study, we aimed to investigate and compare the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of psychiatric inpatients hospitalized involuntarily and voluntarily. To our knowledge, there is no study analyzing involuntary psychiatric hospitalization in our country.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this retrospective study, we included a total of 504 patients who were involuntarily or voluntarily hospitalized in Bolu Izzet Baysal Mental Health Hospital between 1stof May and 31stOctober 2010. The data were obtained from the hospital records.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the 6-month period, 13.1% of 504 inpatients were hospitalized involuntarily. The number of male patients who were involuntarily hospitalized was higher than the number of female patients. Most of the patients in the involuntary hospitalized group were graduates of primary school, were not married and were not working at the time of hospitalization. Schizophrenia was the most common diagnosis in the involuntarily hospitalized psychiatric patients and these patients needed longer stay in the hospital. The next hospitalization of the involuntarily hospitalized patients was mostly involuntary.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most of the involuntarily hospitalized psychiatric inpatients were male, were not working and had the diagnosis of schizophrenia. These general psychiatric risk factors were more important in involuntary hospitalization compared to voluntary hospitalization. We concluded that the high prevalence of involuntary hospitalizations deserved further studies.
authors.affiliation: Bolu Izzet Baysal Mental Health Hospital, Departmen of Psychiatry Clinic, Bolu, Turkey.
authors.forename: Bülent Kadri
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Gültekin
authors.affiliation: Bolu Izzet Baysal Mental Health Hospital, Departmen of Psychiatry Clinic, Bolu, Turkey.
authors.forename: Seda
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Çelik
authors.affiliation: Bolu Izzet Baysal Mental Health Hospital, Departmen of Psychiatry Clinic, Bolu, Turkey.
authors.forename: Aysu
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tihan
authors.affiliation: Bolu Izzet Baysal Mental Health Hospital, Departmen of Psychiatry Clinic, Bolu, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ali Fuat
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Beşkardeş
authors.affiliation: Gerede Public Hospital, Departmen of Psychiatry Clinic, Bolu, Turkey.
authors.forename: Umut
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Sezer
keywords: Involuntary psychiatric hospitalization; psychiatry; schizophrenia; sociodemographic features