The district general hospital psychiatric unit and the mental hospital--some comparisons.

A new district general hospital psychiatric unit was opened at the University Hospital of Wales in June 1972. Information was obtained on all acute psychiatric hospital admissions in Cardiff for the year beginning 1 June 1972, and a comparison was made between patients admitted to the general hospital unit and those admitted to the menta hospital. The findings show that patients admitted to the general hospital unit tended to be younger, of higher social class, neurotic rather than psychotic, and to have had fewer previous admissions than patients admitted to the mental hospital. They will, however, probably stay in hospital longer. The implications of these trends are discussed.