Schizophrenia in rural Ireland: a case of service overutilisation.

Rural Ireland has been characterised by various studies as having high rural rates of schizophrenia. This paper tested the hypothesis that these anomalously high rates resulted from overutilisation of psychiatric hospitals, reflecting community differences in risk for readmission. A comparison of first and total admission (1978-1981), in two broadly matched rural counties showed no significant difference in treated incidence but significant differences in treated prevalence. A demographic comparison of admittants indicated higher risk for readmission for individuals who were older and had previous hospitalisations. The implications for these findings for rural psychiatric care delivery are discussed.