INTRODUCTION: The psychiatric care reform law foresees replacing psychiatric hospital beds by general hospital beds, and closing the Hospital Psiquiátrico São Pedro detoxification unit complies with these principles. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate whether the number of chemically-dependent patients admitted to the psychotics units at this hospital increased before and after the detoxification unit was closed, and whether the availability of hospital beds has decreased. METHOD: a cross-sectional study with a non-random sample was used. It was divided into: Group 1, with all patients admitted to units caring for adult males three months before closure and Group 2, all patients admitted to these units in the three months after that unit was closed. The number of places refused to chemical dependents was analyzed, and a retrospective assessment of records and medical files was performed. RESULTS: The sample in Group 1 was 135, while Group 2 was 126 (n=261). In Group 1, 15.6% were diagnosed as being chemically dependent and, in Group 2, 22.2%. There was an increase in the number of chemically-dependent patients admitted without psychiatric comorbidities (X² =4,497; p=0,033) and in the number of those who could not be admitted (X² =154,40; p=0,0000). DISCUSSION: Since the unit was closed, there has been an increase in the number of chemically addicted patients, without psychiatric comorbidities who were hospitalized in units for psychotics, and deprived from specialized treatment. It has also been noticed that there has been an increase in patients who do not receive treatment, which goes against the intention of the psychiatric care reform. CONCLUSION: Psychiatric Care Reform should be an objective to be pursued by all health professionals. However, we must neither overlook the patients' special needs nor neglect technical aspects.
Chemical Dependence; psychiatric care reform; deinstitutionalization
