Committee Reports::Final Report - Appropriation Accounts 1988::20 March, 1990::Appendix


	HOME Baile
	COMMITTEE REPORTS Tuasascálacha Coistí

Committee Reports > List of Committees > Dáil > 1990 > Committee of Public Accounts > Final Report - Appropriation Accounts 1988

APPENDIX 21

Incidence of Mental Illness

Developments in the psychiatric services are proceeding in line with the recommendations contained in Planning for the Future and are moving away from an institutional based service towards a community oriented psychiatric service. Statistical information collected on the psychiatric services by the Health Research Board and the Department of Health relates to the level of activity in psychiatric hospitals and units and community psychiatric facilities.

The attached table shows the main indicators in relation to trends in the psychiatric services in recent years. The number of in-patients has declined by 23 per cent between the years 1983 and 1988. The number of community hostels increased from 95 to 235 and the number of day facilities increased from 35 to 87. These trends reflect the changing nature of service referred to above.

However there is no clear evidence to indicate whether there has been a change in morbidity of mental illness in this country in recent years.

STATISTICS ON THE PSYCHIATRIC SERVICE

	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988
No. of in-patients in public psychiatric hospitals/units on 31 December	11,876	11,613	11,179	10,840	10,052	9,136
(see note 1)
No. of admissions in year		23,558	23,918	25,557	24,220	24,306
(See note 2)
No. of first admissions	8,415	8,749	8,441	8,251	7,934	n/a
No. of persons attending out-patient clinics in the year		30,305	32,251	40,136	41,058	38,190*

Notes

1. This figure includes chronic long-stay patients

2. This figure includes first and repeat admissions.

* Estimated figure