Abstract
The scope of this article is to analyze the evolution of the profile of psychiatric admissions via the Unified Health System in psychiatric hospitals of the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil, between 2001 and 2013. Data were obtained from the Information Technology Department of the Unified Health System. The analyses of trends were conducted by regression procedures, in which the independent variable was the year, and the dependent variables were the patients (sex, age, diagnosis) and admission characteristics (city, hospital administrative status, length of internment). A total of 202,188 admissions to 25 hospitals were appraised. There were significant changes in the diagnostic profiles of psychiatric admissions during the period under scrutiny, notably an increase in the proportion of admissions for substance abuse-related disorders and a reduction for psychotic disorders. This study is in tune with the context of the reform of mental healthcare in Minas Gerais, providing relevant input to support the mental health policies towards universalization, humanization and the overcoming of inequalities in access to health services.
Key words
Mental health; Psychiatric hospitals; Length of internment; Deinstitutionalization; Health information systems
