An analysis of psychiatric inpatient admissions from a defined geographic catchment area over a one-year period.

The psychiatric inpatients from a defined geographic catchment area of 100,159 were analysed for the year 1986. The inpatient treated prevalence was 5 per 1,000 of the population over 15 years of age. There were 85 long-stay patients and 413 admissions during the year. Thirty-eight per cent of all admissions for 1986 had schizophrenic psychoses, 34% had alcohol and drug disorders, and 15% had affective disorders. Forty-nine per cent of first admissions had alcohol and drug disorders, and 28% had schizophrenic psychoses. Schizophrenic psychosis was the diagnosis in 61% of those patients who had more than 3 previous admissions. Substance abuse, acute schizophrenic psychosis and chronic schizophrenic psychosis accounted for 72% of admissions for 1986. The duration of stay in hospital was longer for female patients than for male patients for each of the main diagnostic categories. The need for epidemiological and hospital utilisation studies to provide essential data for the rational planning of psychiatric services in Trinidad and Tobago is emphasized.