Psychiatric Out-patients in a Geographically Delimited Area

Abstract

SummaryA three-month long study was undertaken of the utilization of the local psychiatric out-patient clinic by the geographically delimited population of Århus, Denmark.Of the 307 males and 580 females contacting the clinics, 107 males and 148 females were new referrals, corresponding to 1·25 males and 1·48 females per 1,000 inhabitants 15 years or more, respectively. The ratio of treated females to males increased from 0·87 in the 15–24–year age group to 2·22 for patients 55 years or above.Manic-depressive psychosis accounted for 43 per cent, followed by schizophrenia and other functional psychoses in males, and neuroses and other functional psychoses in females. The clinics collaborated closely with the in-patient facilities. Thus about 75 per cent were referrals from the in-patient clinics and 70 per cent of the discharged out-patients admitted.