Abstract
A survey of outpatients at Juntendo Koshigaya Hospital was carried out. Statistical analysis was performed to clarify the clinical characteristics of a mental hospital associated with a university school of medicine which is a very unique facility in Japan. In this study, we paid special attention to the characteristics of the group surveyed. Two groups were chosen for comparison. The first included new patients, who ertered to the psychiatric treatment programme between April 1989 and March 1991, the second was selected all outpatients, who were under care at the point of survery (March 31, 1991). The results obtained from these two groups were analyzed separately and compared.
At our hospital, the number of female patients was significantly higher than that of men (P<0.001), and age of female patients was significantly higher than that of men (P<0.001). In comparison to the data obtained from studies at other facilities, we considered these features reflected the epidemiological features of the suburbs of a metropolitan, rather than that of mental hospital associated with a university school of medicine. However, the composition of diseases, occupation of patients, and the methods of consultation, demonstrated the clinical characteristics of our hospital which are similar to that of psychiatric treatment departments in university hospitals, and different from that of mental hospitals in Japan.
