Abstract

FRANKEN, Herman; PARKER, John; ALLEN, Robin  and  WICOMB, Robert A.. A profile of adult acute admissions to Lentegeur Psychiatric Hospital, South Africa. S. Afr. j. psyc. [online]. 2019, vol.25, n.1, pp.1-7. ISSN 2078-6786.  http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/sajpsychiatry.v25i0.1244.

BACKGROUND: The Western Cape province has the highest documented lifetime prevalence of common mental disorders in South Africa. To ensure the efficient, equitable and effective distribution of current resources, there is a need to determine the profile of patients requiring psychiatric admission. AIM: To describe patients admitted to the acute adult admissions unit at Lentegeur Hospital. SETTING: Lentegeur Psychiatric Hospital is situated in Mitchells Plain, Cape Town, and serves about 1 million people from nearby urban and rural areas. METHODS: This retrospective study involved an audit of all patients (18-60 years of age) admitted between 01 January 2016 and 30 June 2016. The clinical records of 573 adult patients were examined RESULTS: The median age of the cohort was 29 years. Most patients (63%) were educated to the secondary level. Only 12% of the patients were employed, and 37% received disability grants. More than 90% of the patients presented with psychotic symptoms. Of these, 28% presented with a first-episode of psychosis. Of all patients, 20% were referred with manic symptoms and 7% with depressive symptoms. Many patients (62%) used substances concurrently in the period leading up to admission. Significantly more males (73%) used substances compared to females (38%). Cannabis was the most widely used substance (51%), followed by methamphetamine (36%). Recent violent behaviour contributed to 37% of the current admissions. A total of 70 patients (13%) tested positive for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and 49 (9%) tested positive for syphilis. CONCLUSION: Substance use and a history of violence contributed to admissions in this population.

Keywords : acute adult admissions; patient profile; substance use; violence; psychosis.

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