Day care/inpatient psychiatric treatment of minors and adults with hyperkinetic disorder in German psychiatric hospitals Basic conditions, diagnoses and comorbidities

Background Hyperkinetic disorders (HKD, ICD-10 F90.-) have increasingly been the focus of research literature in recent years. Empirical studies analyzing the care situation in psychiatric clinics are so far primarily available for a few health insurances. This study analyzed a German sample from 2015 consisting of inpatient as well as day care psychiatric treatment cases from all statutory health insurances focusing on the care situation and differentiating between minor vs. adult patients with the main diagnosis HKD. Material and methods The study was based on the treatment relevant indicators in psychiatry and psychosomatics (VIPP) database, which contains data according to </n>21 of the Hospital Remuneration Act (KHEntgG). A total of 896 treatment cases with the diagnosis of HKD from the year 2015, based on anonymized routine records from 41 psychiatric clinics, were analyzed. Results The basic conditions for inpatient/day care psychiatric treatment significantly differed between minor vs. adult patients. Minors travelled greater distances to the treatment site, received more therapy units and stayed longer in the psychiatric clinic than adults. Significant differences were also found between the subgroups concerning the main diagnoses according to ICD-10 coding as well as comorbid mental disorders. Conclusion Due to greater distances from their residence to a psychiatric hospital for minors, extension of capacities with a focus on child and youth psychiatry seems to be a reasonable conclusion. Simultaneously, the intensity of treatment seems to be lower for adult patients, despite a greatly increased number of secondary diagnoses and thus anticipated psychological stress. Transition difficulties from child and youth psychiatry to adult psychiatry may be a possible explanation for this discrepancy.