Abstract
BackgroundPersonality disorders affect a substantial proportion of the population. It is unclear, however, whether the burden of personality disorders on modern mental health services has been increasing. To fill this gap, we analyzed trends in admissions for personality disorders in Italy from 1988 to 1998.MethodsWe used the yearly data from the Italian Central Institute of Statistics to analyse trends in the total number of admissions for personality disorders and in the total number of first admissions for personality disorders.ResultsThe absolute number of admissions for personality disorders almost trebled from 1988 to 1998, as well as the proportion of all psychiatric admissions that were for personality disorders. Whilst there has been a marked increase in the absolute number of first admissions, the proportion of all first psychiatric admissions that were for personality disorders showed a steady but modest increase, from 5.7% to 7.6%.ConclusionIn Italy, the burden of personality disorders on modern mental health services has been increasing. In terms of public health, these findings highlight the urgent need of developing policies to tackle the increasing demand of care of this difficult-to-treat patient population.
Highlights
Personality disorders affect a substantial proportion of the population
These figures were used to establish the total number of admissions for Personality Disorders (PDs) and the proportion of all psychiatric admissions that were for PDs between 1988 and 1998
We established the total number of first admissions for PDs and the proportion of all first psychiatric admissions that were for PDs
Summary
Whether the burden of personality disorders on modern mental health services has been increasing To fill this gap, we analyzed trends in admissions for personality disorders in Italy from 1988 to 1998. While community surveys estimated that between 4.4 and 13% of individuals have a PD [1], surveys carried out in outpatient psychiatric settings estimated that nearly one third of psychiatric patients were diagnosed with one specific PD, and up to fifty percent received a general diagnosis of PDs [2] Despite these figures, it remains unclear whether the burden of PDs on modern mental health services has been increasing. We analyzed trends in admissions for PDs in Italy from 1988 to 1998
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