Profile of female hospitalizations in a psychiatric unit: a critical analysis

ABSTRACT Objective To analyze the profile of psychiatric hospitalizations of women and adolescents in the years 2018 and 2019 in a general hospital. Methods A quantitative study with a cross-sectional design was carried out, whose setting was the psychiatric inpatient unit of a general hospital, in Porto Alegre, in Rio Grande do Sul. Data collection occurred through the electronic medical records of hospitalized women for the years 2018 and 2019 The variables age, mental health diagnosis, number of days of hospitalization, origin and pregnancy were analyzed using descriptive statistics using the software Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Results A total of 418 hospitalizations were obtained, 132 corresponding to adolescents and 79 to pregnant women. The average age was 28.7 years. The average hospital stay was 28.5 days. The main places of origin are the psychiatric emergency services. The main diagnosis was depression (46.4%) and bipolar mood disorder (23.9%). Conclusion Knowing the epidemiological profile of female psychiatric hospitalizations provides an opportunity for a differential treatment to be established, since the mental health care of women is multifaceted, complex and intersectional and requires scientific knowledge, as well as an integrated approach to health services. Mental disorders also affect adolescents and pregnant women, and it is essential to know the needs of these populations in order to develop specialized care.