Cavan-Monaghan had lowest number of psychiatric admissions

Last year admissions to Irish psychiatric units and hospitals were down from 17,000 in 2018 to 16,710 in 2019, with the average length of stay also dropping, from 82.7 days in 2010 to 64.2 days in 2019.

Cavan and Monaghan had the lowest number of psychiatric admissions per head of population last year, with depressive disorders, neuroses and schizophrenia among the main mental health concerns.

The details are contained within the newly published National Psychiatric Inpatient Reporting System (NPIRS) report.

Last year admissions to Irish psychiatric units and hospitals were down from 17,000 in 2018 to 16,710 in 2019, with the average length of stay also dropping, from 82.7 days in 2010 to 64.2 days in 2019.

According to the report, Cavan General admitted 243 patients in 2019.

This was down 2.4% on 2018 when there were 249 admissions.

Blackwater House at St Davnet’s in Monaghan had four admissions in 2019, one more than the previous year.

More than half of those seeking admission locally (128) were aged between 20 and 44 years, followed by 45-64 (77), and 65+ (22). A total of eleven patients under the age of 20 years were also admitted (4.5%).

Monaghan had the lowest number of psychiatric admissions for selected diagnosis per 100,000 total population.

The county had 175.9 admissions for all diagnoses, with 47.2 for schizophrenia, schizotypal and delusional disorders; 26.1 for depressive disorders; and 19.5 for alcoholic disorders.

Of those, 45.6 of those admissions for all diagnoses were first admissions, with 4.9 for schizophrenia, schizotypal and delusional disorders; 11.4 for depressive disorders; and 3.3 for alcoholic disorders.

Cavan was the second lowest, with 229.7 for all diagnoses, and 59.1 for schizophrenia, schizotypal and delusional disorders; 39.4 for depressive disorders; and 14.4 for alcoholic disorders.

They included 85.3 first time admissions for all diagnoses, with 13.1 for schizophrenia, schizotypal and delusional disorders; 15.8 for depressive disorders; and 7.9 for alcoholic disorders.

Again, those same two counties ranked the lowest for ‘unknown order’ of admission, with 5.3 per 100,000 population for all diagnoses in Cavan and 6.5 in Monaghan.

Of 251 discharges from Cavan General Hospital’s psychiatric ward last year, there was one death.

Almost a third of patients discharged stayed on average 26.5 days, with longest stay being between three months and a year.

There was one discharge and two deaths at St Davnet’s in Monaghan, with the average length of stay per discharge 1,189.7 days.

There were less than five admissions of adolescents to Cavan General in 2019, and none where there was an unknown order of admission.

County Carlow had the highest number of psychiatric admissions, for all diagnoses, at 454.9 per 100,000 total population, followed by Leitrim at 443.1.

Leitrim also had 65.5 for schizophrenia, schizotypal and delusional disorders; 156.0 for depressive disorders; and 46.8 for alcoholic disorders.