Abstract:
AIM:
Antisocial personality disorder (AsPD) has high rates of comorbidity with substance use and other psychiatric disorders, and is associated with significantly increased risk for criminality, unemployment, and homelessness. Evidence for effective treatment is scant, with ongoing debate regarding the appropriateness of psychiatric inpatient admission. We aimed to contribute to this debate by examining psychiatric inpatient bed use by this population.
METHOD:
De-identified records of psychiatric inpatient admissions in New Zealand between 2017 and 2021 obtained from the Ministry of Health will be retrospectively analysed, focusing on discharge diagnoses of AsPD, length of stay, Mental Health Act or special patient status, and general psychiatric versus forensic admission type. Data will be compared with admissions for borderline personality disorder (BPD).
RESULTS:
Preliminary results will be presented at the conference and provide an estimate of current psychiatric inpatient resource utilisation by individuals with AsPD and BPD in New Zealand.
CONCLUSION:
Our study will provide evidence regarding AsPD and BPD inpatient treatment in New Zealand, including admission rates, duration, comorbidities, and use of compulsion. These results will be considered alongside other evidence of treatment efficacy for these diagnostic groups and contribute to the debate regarding the most appropriate use of inpatient resources in our over-stretched public mental health system.