Hospitalization rates for mental health disorders provide important information to help us prioritize community needs for mental health and urgent care plantation. In Saint Louis County, there were over 13,000 hospitalizations for mental disorders between 2010 and 2014. For all age groups, depressive disorders, including major depression and mood disorder not-otherwise-specified, were the most common primary diagnostic grouping for hospitalizations among mental disorders, followed by bipolar disorder. In 2012, The Saint Louis County Department of Planning defined 5 geographic areas (Inner North, Outer North, South, West and Central) within and crossing Saint Louis Countyâs borders. Among them, the Inner North has the greatest poverty, as opposed to the West which has the least. These geographic areas, along with neighborhood poverty level, were analyzed to better understand the demographics of Saint Louis County residents experiencing mental disorders.
Objective:
We used hospitalization rates for mental disorders to determine utilization patterns and the need for community-based mental health services.