Patterns of psychiatric care in south Verona and Groningen. A case-register follow-up study.

The pattern of utilization of mental health services in south Verona (Italy) and in Groningen (the Netherlands) was studied. The local psychiatric case registers were used to select patients aged 15 years or more who had at least one contact in 1982 and no contacts in the previous 365 days. Each patient was followed for 36 months after the first contact in 1982. The 2 cohorts differed in size (373 in south Verona and 590 in Groningen), age, diagnosis and pattern of care, whereas the sex distribution was similar. The cohort in Groningen was characterized by a higher number of elderly people, suffering from organic psychoses. Drug dependence prevailed in south Verona, while alcohol dependence was predominant in Groningen. The pattern of care was classified according to 2 basic measures, the gross duration of care and the net duration of care. In south Verona single consulters were almost 3 times more common than in Groningen. In general, patients in Groningen tended to depend more on the mental health services. Linear regression analysis was used to determine the extent to which the pattern of care was predicted by the sociodemographical and clinical characteristics of the patients. Only the site where the contacts were made (south Verona or Groningen) and the diagnosis were significantly associated with the pattern of care.