Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Nordic comparative study on sectorized psychiatry

III. Accessibility of psychiatric services, degree of urbanization and treated incidence

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

As part of a Nordic Comparative Study on Sectorized Psychiatry, accessibility of psychiatric services and degree of urbanization in seven catchment areas were related to treated incidence. One-year treated incidence cohorts were used. Accessibility was assessed according to referral practice, existence of a round the clock emergency service and geographical location of the services. Accessiblity was, surprisingly, weakly associated with treated incidence. Easy access to the psychiatric services was not related to a high treated incidence of less severe psychiatric problems at the expense of patients suffering from severe illness. Geographical distance to the services did not predict the demand for services. A positive correlation was found between the degree of urbanization and treated incidence of psychoses but not of other diagnostic groups.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Goldberg D, Huxley P (1980) Mental illness in the community. Pathways to psychiatric care. Tavistokc publications, London

    Google Scholar 

  2. Human H, Wasem C (1991) Rural mental health in America. Am Psychol 46: 232–239

    Google Scholar 

  3. Johnson S, Thornicroft G (1993) The sectorisation of psychiatric services in England and Wales. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 28: 45–47

    Google Scholar 

  4. Stefansson CG, Cullberg J, Steinholtz Ekecranntz L (1990) From community mental health services to specialized psychiatry: the effects of a change in policy on patient accessibility and care utilization. Acta Psychiatr Scand 82: 157–164

    Google Scholar 

  5. Sayce L, Craig TKJ, Boardamn AP (1991) The development of community mental health centres in the U.K., Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 26: 14–120

    Google Scholar 

  6. Richman A, Boutilier C, Harris P (1984) The relevance of sociodemographic and resource factors in the use of acute psychiatric in-patient care in the Atlantic Provinces of Canada. Psychol Med 14: 175–182

    Google Scholar 

  7. Vaslamatzis V, Kontaxakis M, Markidis M, Katsouyanni K (1987) Social and resource factors related to the utilization of emergency psychiatric services in the Athens area. Acta Psychiatr Scand 75: 95–98

    Google Scholar 

  8. Babigian HM (1977) The impact of community mental health centers on the utilization of services. Arch Gen Psychiatry 34: 385–394

    Google Scholar 

  9. Sytema S (1991) Social indicators and admission rates: a caseregister study in the Netherlands, Psychol Med 21: 177–184

    Google Scholar 

  10. Sytema S (1994) Patterns of mental health care, methods and international comparative research. Thesis. Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, Groningen

    Google Scholar 

  11. Keatinge C (1987) Community factors influencing psychiatric hospital utilization in rural and urban Ireland. Community Ment Health J 23: 192–203

    Google Scholar 

  12. Sommers I (1989) Geographical location and mental health service utilization among the chronically mentally ill. Community Ment Health J 25: 132–144

    Google Scholar 

  13. Giel R, ten Horn GHMM (1982) Patterns of mental health care in a Dutch register area. Soc Psychiatry 17: 117–123

    Google Scholar 

  14. Dilling H, Weyerer S (1980) Incidence and prevalence of treated mental disorders. Health care planning in a small-town-rural region of upper Bavaria. Acta Psychiatr Scand 61: 209–222

    Google Scholar 

  15. Lavik NJ (1983) Utilization of mental health services over a given period. Acta Psychiatr Scand 67: 404–413

    Google Scholar 

  16. ten Horn GHMM, Moschel G, Giel R, Häfner H (1988) Patterns of mental health care in two European areas: Mannheim, Federal Republic of Germany; and Groningenen, The Netherlands. Acta Psychiatr Scand 77: 271–279

    Google Scholar 

  17. ten Horn GHMM, Madianos MG, Giel R, Madianou D, Stefanis CN (1989) A cross-cultural comparison of mental health care delivery in Athens and Groningen. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 24: 35–40

    Google Scholar 

  18. Balestrieri M, Sytema S, Gavioli I, Micciolo R (1989) Patterns of psychiatric care in south Verona and Groningen. A case-register follow-up study. Acta Psychiatr Scand 80: 437–444

    Google Scholar 

  19. Giel R, Hannibal JU, Henderson HH, ten Horn GHMM (eds) (1987) WHO study of mental health services in pilot study areas. WHO, Copenhagen

    Google Scholar 

  20. Westrin C-G (1990) Psychiatric health services research in the Nordic countries (in Swedish). Nordic psychiatry 44: 419–424

    Google Scholar 

  21. WHO (1977) Manual of the international statistical classification of diseases, Ninth revision. WHO, Geneva

    Google Scholar 

  22. Jones SJ, Cooper JE, Davis N (1986) Diagnostic validity and comparability. In: Giel R, Gulbinat H, Henderson JH (eds) Psychiatric case registers in public health. A worldwide inventory 1960–1985. Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp 175–178

    Google Scholar 

  23. Sytema S, Giel R, ten Horn GHMM, Balestrieri M, Davies N (1989) The reliability of diagnostic coding in psychiatric case registers. Psychol Med 19: 999–1006

    Google Scholar 

  24. Altman DG (1991) Practical statistics for medical research Chapman and Hall, Cornwall

    Google Scholar 

  25. Marriott S, Malone S, Onyett S, Tyrer P (1993) The consequences of an open referral system to a community mental health service. Acta Psychiatr Scand 88: 93–97

    Google Scholar 

  26. Leaf P, Livingston Bruche M, Tischler GL (1986) The differential effect of attitudes on the use of mental health service. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 21: 187–192

    Google Scholar 

  27. Lewis G, David A, Andreasson S, Allebeck P (1992) Schizophrenia and city life. Lancet 340: 137–140

    Google Scholar 

  28. Widerlöv B, Borgá P, Cullberg J, Stefansson CG, Lindqvist G (1989) Epidemiology of long-term functional psychosis in three different areas in Stockholm County. Acta Psychiatr Scand 80: 40–46

    Google Scholar 

  29. Mueller DP (1981) The current status of urban-rural differences in psychiatric disorder. An emerging trend for depression. J Nerv Ment Dis 169: 18–27

    Google Scholar 

  30. Blazer D, George LK, Landerman R et al. (1985) Psychiatric disorders. A rural urban comparison. Arch Gen Psychiatry 42: 651–656

    Google Scholar 

  31. Lee CK, Kwak YS, Yamamoto J, et al. (1990) Psychiatric epidemiology in Korea. II. Urban and rural differences. J Nerv Ment Dis 178: 247–252

    Google Scholar 

  32. Hornblow AR, Bushnell JA, Wells JE, Joyce PR, Oakley-Browne MA (1990) Christchurch psychiatric epidemiology study: use of mental health services NZ Med J 103: 415–417

    Google Scholar 

  33. Wells JE, Robins LN, Bushnell JA, Jarosz D, Oakley-Browne MA (1994) Perceived barriers to care in St. Louis (USA) and Christchurch (NZ): reasons for not seeking professional help for psychological distress. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 29: 155–164

    Google Scholar 

  34. Hansson L, Öiesvold T, Göstas G, Kastrup M, Lönnerberg O, Saarento O, Sandlund M (1995). The Nordic comparative study on sectorized psychiatry. I. Treated point-prevalence and characteristics of the psychiatric services. Acta Psychiatr Scand 91: 41–47

    Google Scholar 

  35. Saarento O, Öiesvold T, Göstas G, Lindhardt A, Sandlund M, Vinding HR, Zandren T, Hansson L (1995) The Nordic comparative study on sectorized psychiatry. II. Resources of the psychiatric services and treated incidence. Acta Psychiatr Scand 92: 202–207

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, University of Oulu, SF-90220, Oulu, Finland

    O. Saarento

  2. Salten Psychiatric Centre, Nordland Psychiatric Hospital, Bodö, Norway

    T. Öiesvold

  3. Orsa och Älvdalen Primary Health Care Centre, Sweden

    G. Göstas

  4. Department of Psychiatry, Copenhagen County Hospital, Denmark

    L. W. Christiansen

  5. Department of Psychiatry, Sector Hässelby-Vällingby, Stockholm, Sweden

    A. Lindhardt

  6. Department of Psychiatry, Roskilde, Denmark

    O. Lönnerberg

  7. Department of Psychiatry, University of Umeå, Sweden

    M. Sandlund

  8. Department of Psychiatry, University of Lund, Sweden

    L. Hansson

Authors
  1. O. Saarento
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. T. Öiesvold
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. G. Göstas
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. L. W. Christiansen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. A. Lindhardt
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. O. Lönnerberg
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. M. Sandlund
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. L. Hansson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Saarento, O., Öiesvold, T., Göstas, G. et al. The Nordic comparative study on sectorized psychiatry. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 31, 259–265 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00787918

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00787918

Keywords

Search

Navigation