Changes of Sociodemographic and Clinical Characteristics of Patients Registered in a Community Mental Health Center: Comparing 2008 with 2012.
- Author:
Ji Young HWANG
1
;
Jong Hyun JEONG
;
Yura KIM
;
Yun Mi AUM
;
Seung Chul HONG
;
Jin Hee HAN
Author Information
1. Department of Psychiatry, St. Vincent's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Suwon, Korea. anton3@catholic.ac.kr
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Community mental health center;
Semidemographic data;
Social welfare;
Clinical characteristics
- MeSH:
Antipsychotic Agents;
Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale;
Diagnosis;
Gyeonggi-do;
Humans;
Insurance Coverage;
Insurance, Health;
Mental Health*;
Psychotic Disorders;
Social Welfare
- From:Korean Journal of Psychopharmacology
2014;25(4):217-223
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to investigate the changes of sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of patients who were registered in a community mental health center. METHODS: The patients enrolled in this study were those registered in Suwon City Community Mental Health Center in 2008 and 2012, and there were 440 and 460 patients, respectively. The authors analyzed demographic data, medical insurance status, registration status of mental disability and clinical characteristics, such as diagnosis, type of medical institution the patients received medical care from, medication, duration of illness, Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale and global assessment function scores. RESULTS: There were more married patients in 2012 than in 2008 (23.1% vs. 34.3%, p<0.001) and the proportion of patients who were employed was larger in 2012 (8.2% vs. 10.2%, p=0.302). Also, in 2012, more patients received Level 1 medical care rather than health insurance (27.9% vs. 35.3%, p=0.007) and the number of patients with registered mental disability increased (27.7% vs. 52.6%, p<0.001). From 2008 to 2012, the number of patients diagnosed with other disorders besides psychotic disorders increased (15.5% vs. 22.9%, p=0.007). Also, more patients tended to receive medical treatment from private mental clinics (38.6% vs. 58.1%, p<0.001), and to be administered with atypical antipsychotics rather than conventional antipsychotics (58.6% vs. 80.4%, p=0.022). CONCLUSION: This study suggests that many characteristics of the patients registered in a community mental health center have been gradually changed. The patients registered in 2012 were likely to be diagnosed with other disorders besides psychotic disorders and to get more atypical antipsychotics compared to patients registered in 2008. This study would contribute to finding out the proper roles and functions of mental health centers, and, as a result, the mental health centers could be able to provide better quality of service to their registered patients.
