ALCOHOLISM: A TWO-YEAR FOLLOW-UP STUDY OF PATIENTS ADMITTED TO THE PSYCHIATRIC DEPARTMENT OF A GENERAL HOSPITAL

The number of alcoholics admitted to mental hospitals in the United Kingdom has recently shown a sharp rise. In Scotland the admissions have risen from 732 in 1956 to 1,347 in 1961 (General Board of Control for Scotland) and in England and Wales from 1,285 in 1956 to 2,479 in 1960 (Registrar General). Figures for admission to general hospital units are not as yet available but they may well show a similar rise. Admission rates for alcoholism to Scottish mental hospitals are about four times higher than in England and Wales, and one-third of first admissions of middle-aged men to Scottish mental hospitals are suffering from alcoholism or alcoholic psychosis (Morrison, 1964). The rise in admission rates cannot be taken as indicative of a rise in prevalence; it may be that they reflect other changes, such as the attitude of the patients towards the acceptance of treatment, the attitude of the family doctor towards referral, and the availability of hospital beds.