A comparison of gerontopsychiatric inpatients of a University Psychiatric Hospital (integrated care) and a Psychiatric State Hospital (separated care) in Germany. Part 2: Diagnosis and treatment

Objective: We wanted to study differences between geriatric psychiatric patients and their management in an integrated (with other adult age groups) care in the University Psychiatric Hospital (PUK) compared to those in a separated (only according to age) care in the Psychiatric State Hospital (LKH), which together treat all psychiatric inpatients in Goettingen, Germany. Method: We performed standardized chart reviews of randomly selected groups of patients, who had been treated in the PUK (n =151) and the LKH (n = 145) in the years 1991 and 1992. Results: Most patients of the LKH suffered from organic brain diseases/dementia (63.4%; PUK: 29.1 %). In the PUK, depression was the most frequent diagnosis (57.6 %; LKH: 21.1 %). A part of about 25 % of the patients showed neurological deficits. Specialised diagnostics were performed mostly in the PUK. Both institutions treated the wide majority of patients with CNS drugs. Antidementia drugs were given significantly more often in the LKH. About one third of the pa-tients were released into changed living environments. Conclusions: Patients with further progressed dementias were treated mainly in the LKH. This has consequences for diagnostics, treatment duration and side effect rate.