Niels Okkels

TY - JOUR

T1 - State of psychiatry in Denmark

AU - Bauer, Jeanett Østerby

AU - Okkels, Niels

AU - Munk-Jørgensen, Povl

PY - 2012/8

Y1 - 2012/8

N2 - Danish psychiatry has gone through profound changes over the past two to three decades, reducing inpatient-based treatment and increasing outpatient treatment markedly. The number of patients treated has almost doubled, and the diagnostic profile has broadened, now including a substantial number of common mental disorders, in particular depression and anxiety. Furthermore, 'new' diagnostic groups are represented in the treatment statistics with steeply increasing incidences, e.g. attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and eating disorders, especially in the outpatient part of the statistics. Over the same 30 years, the number of available beds has been reduced by 60-70%; however, as the length of stay of inpatients has been reduced markedly, the departments are still able to treat a high number of patients. The financial budgeting of psychiatry is not increasing equivalently to the somatic specialities, handicapping development in psychiatry. Action has been taken to increase research activity in psychiatry. This is facilitated by an increasing interest among medical students and young graduate physicians attracted by the neuropsychiatric paradigm, rapidly implemented in Danish psychiatry.

AB - Danish psychiatry has gone through profound changes over the past two to three decades, reducing inpatient-based treatment and increasing outpatient treatment markedly. The number of patients treated has almost doubled, and the diagnostic profile has broadened, now including a substantial number of common mental disorders, in particular depression and anxiety. Furthermore, 'new' diagnostic groups are represented in the treatment statistics with steeply increasing incidences, e.g. attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and eating disorders, especially in the outpatient part of the statistics. Over the same 30 years, the number of available beds has been reduced by 60-70%; however, as the length of stay of inpatients has been reduced markedly, the departments are still able to treat a high number of patients. The financial budgeting of psychiatry is not increasing equivalently to the somatic specialities, handicapping development in psychiatry. Action has been taken to increase research activity in psychiatry. This is facilitated by an increasing interest among medical students and young graduate physicians attracted by the neuropsychiatric paradigm, rapidly implemented in Danish psychiatry.

KW - Denmark

KW - Humans

KW - Mental Disorders

KW - Mental Health Services

KW - Psychiatry

U2 - 10.3109/09540261.2012.692321

DO - 10.3109/09540261.2012.692321

M3 - Review

C2 - 22950767

VL - 24

SP - 295

EP - 300

JO - International Review of Psychiatry

JF - International Review of Psychiatry

SN - 0954-0261

IS - 4

ER -