Episodic rate of mental hospitalization: stable or increasing?

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Abstract
It is generally accepted that the natinonal rate of mental hospitalization has been stable in recent years (at 1.8 million). That conclusion, based largely on data from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), ignores all inpatient episodes for mental disorders in general hospitals without psychiatric units. Surveying the more extensive data base, a much larger number of inpatient episodes (.apprx. 3 million) is reported. Changes in rates across years were investigated and a steady increase from 1965 to 1979 was found. The difference is entirely attributable to inpatient episodes in general hospitals without psychiatric units, where the number of episodes has been rapidly increasing.