Clinical severity and instability independently predict future psychiatric hospitalization risk

Clinical severity and instability are the independent predictors for future psychiatric hospitalization risk across various age groups, sexes, and diagnoses as per a new study that was published in the journal The Lancet Psychiatry.  Predicting the risk of hospitalization was necessary as it identifies the individuals benefitting from intensive community care. 

 Identifying individuals who most likely require psychiatric hospitalization is critical for the optimal provision of services and for improving patient outcomes. Current predictors are limited in their translational potential since they are focused on certain clinical circumstances and have not been verified using real-world data. Hence researchers conducted a study to determine if early trajectories of Clinical Global Impression Severity are predictors of 6-month risk of hospitalization. 

A retrospective cohort study was carried out using data from the NeuroBlu database which is an electronic health records network from 25 US mental health-care providers. Eligibility criteria were patients with an ICD-9 or ICD-10 code of major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, ADHD, or personality disorder. Using this cohort, clinical severity and instability, measured using operationalized Clinical Global Impression Severity measurements were assessed over 2 months to know if they were predictors of psychiatric hospitalization within the next 6 months.