Influence of the new law on the protection of persons with mental disturbances on the frequency of involuntary hospitalization at a psychiatry clinic of CHC Rijeka

Abstract

The research was conducted at the Psychiatry Clinic of the Rijeka Clinical Hospital Center with the purpose of determining the impact of the new Law on the Protection of Persons with Mental Disorders (LPPMD) on the frequency of involuntary hospitalization. It covered two investigated periods. The first investigated period was the period of application of the old LPPMD from January 1st 2012 to December 31st 2014. The Second Investigated Period was the period of application of the New LPPMD from January 1st 2015 to December 31st 2017. In addition to comparing the frequency of involuntary hospitalization, the study includes diagnostic criteria, sociodemographic data, as well as means of arrival to the Clinic (police escort, ambulance, family) and the applied means of separation and restrictions. For the purposes of research, data from the Protocol on Involuntary Hospitalization, the History of Disease and the Integrated Hospital Information System were used. Analysis of the obtained results showed that there is no statistically significant difference in the frequency of involuntary hospitalization between the old and new LPPMD. However, observing the examined periods, we have noticed the tendency of increased frequency of involuntary hospitalization according to the new LPPMD. The obtained results of the research indicate that the majority of involuntarily hospitalized patients are male, 46.6 (SD 13.9) years old, unmarried, with completed high school education, unemployed, diagnosed with F20-F29-schizophrenia, schizotypal and delusional disorders and F10-F19-mental and behavioral disorders due to use of psychoactive substances involuntarily hospitalized and escorted by the police, with application of some means of separation and restriction.