Clinical experience in a child and adolescent psychiatry inpatient unit: A 20-month analysis of sociodemographic characteristics and diagnostic distribution

This study aimed to describe the key sociodemographic and diagnostic characteristics of female child and adolescents hospitalized in a psychiatry inpatient unit. We hypothesized that certain psychiatric diagnoses and clinical features would be particularly prominent in this population. A retrospective analysis was conducted on 250 female patients admitted to a child and adolescent psychiatry inpatient unit between February 2022 and October 2023. Sociodemographic data, psychiatric diagnoses, self-injury history, psychotropic medication use, and prominent personality traits were examined. Self-reported Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale, and clinician-rated Clinical Global Impressions and Children’s Global Assessment Scale scores were recorded. Diagnoses were assessed using the K-SADS-PL. Data were obtained from the hospital’s electronic records and archive files. The mean age of the patients was 15.86±1.33 years, 74% were admitted through the emergency department. The length of hospitalization was 12.84±9.46 days. The most common diagnoses were, in order, major depressive disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, social phobia, post-traumatic stress disorder. Self-injury behaviors were present in 65.6% of patients. The rate of psychotropic medication was used 90.4% of cases, most frequently atypical antipsychotics and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. The inpatient female youth profile is characterized by major depressive disorder, complex comorbidities, and frequent self-injury behaviors. The diagnostic distribution differs from community samples. Strengthening preventive outpatient mental health services may help reduce the need for psychiatric inpatient admissions.