Older people in hospitals for the insane in New South Wales, Australia, 1849–1905

Abstract

Older people had high admission rates to hospitals for the insane in New South Wales, Australia, in the second half of the nineteenth century. The medical casebooks of 226 patients aged 60 years and over admitted to two hospitals for the insane between 1849 and 1905 were examined. Aggressive behaviour (35.4%), suicidal behaviour (23.9%), fears of harm to self (19.9%) and alcohol issues (13.7%) were identified. Physical health factors (35.8%), functional impairment (18.6%) and poor nourishment (8.8%) were noted. Common diagnoses were mania (36.7%), dementia (31.9%) and melancholia (17.7%). Twenty-first-century diagnoses were assigned in nearly 94 per cent of cases with concordance that varied by diagnosis. The majority of admissions had serious mental disorders, with only 29.6 per cent being discharged.