The Irish Times - Tuesday January 11, 2011

Divorcees top the list for psychiatric hospitalisation

By Eilish O'Regan

People who are divorced had the highest rate of hospitalisation in psychiatric units last year, new figures reveal.

The census is carried out in March each year to get a breakdown of the numbers of people resident in psychiatric units across the country and also to throw light on other aspects of their lives.

It found 2,812 people were resident on the census night and nearly half of the long-stay group were over the age of 65 years.

Men accounted for 53pc of all residents and the gender breakdown has not changed over the last 40 years. One third were aged 65 years or over, 12pc were aged 25-34 years and six per cent were under the age of 25 years.

The census from the Health Research Board showed overall there was a reduction in patients of 577 compared to 2006 and a drastic fall from the figure of 19,801 in 1963.

However the still significant number of people for whom a psychiatric hospital has been home for many years highlights the slow pace of plans to transfer them to more appropriate modern accommodation.

Too many Victorian psychiatric hospitals are still in use, despite promises over the years to have them closed down.

When they calculated the rate of hospitalisation among various groups they found that divorced people topped the table.

Divorced people -- who are still relatively low in number in this country -- had a hospitalisation rate of 115.9 per 100,000, followed by those widowed at 90.9 per 100,000.

Dublin psychiatrist Dr Siobhan Barry said, however, it was not right to conclude from the figures that being divorced is bad for a person's mental health.

She points out: "Some folk may be in hospital because they simply don't have someone at home to provide them with support. The hospitalisation can be to get them over the roughest part.

"Often being married or in a relationship is protective because there is also support at home. Whether someone has another person to look after them can influence whether they end up in hospital or not."

She also adds that: "You may have people who have existing mental health difficulties which make them more prone to their relationship breaking down."

People who are widowed and in a psychiatric unit may be in the acute stage of their loss but it could also be that they do not have home support.

Agricultural workers had the highest rate of hospitalisation followed by the unskilled group and farmers.

One third had a diagnosis of schizophrenia, 17pc had depressive disorders, 10pc had an organic mental disorder and eight per cent had mania.