Evaluating the Use of a Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit: Is Ethnicity a Risk Factor for Admission?

Abstract

Objective: This paper presents a descriptive study, undertaken in 1993, of a Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) serving a deprived inner-city area, investigating the role of ethnicity as a risk factor for admission to the unit. Methods: Clinical and demographic data were collected on consecutive admission to a PICU. Global Assessment of Function Scale scores were rated on admission and at discharge from the unit. Results: The majority of patients were male (63%) and the commonest DSM-IV diagnoses were schizophrenia (42%) and bipolar affective disorder (24%). Average length of stay was 13 days with patients making significant improvement in functioning during their stay. Fifty-five percent of PICU admissions came from ethnic minorities (compared with 25.6% of total hospital admissions and 20.9% of the local catchment area population aged between 16 and 65 years). There was no evidence that ethnic minority patients were being inappropriately admitted to the PICU. Conclusions: It is likely that a variety of factors contributed to the high rate of PICU admission amongst ethnic minority patients, including an increased prevalence of major mental illness and more frequent cannabis abuse.