Use of psychotropic medication in an adolescent in-patient unit

Abstract

In January 1991, the adolescent in-patient unit in Leeds became a seven-day residential unit. This study set out to review the first five years' intake of patients, with regard to basic demographic details, diagnoses, use of regularly prescribed psychotropic medication and episode length. Using clinical case notes as the primary data source, we reviewed 154 completed patient episodes, representing 128 patients. The study revealed that about a third of patients had been prescribed regular psychotropic medication, and that this group had significantly longer episodes and were significantly more likely to return to the unit than those for whom there had not been regularly prescribed medication.