Almost one-third of all stays in Hawaii’s community hospitals for patients age 18 and older –33,407 of nearly 108,000 stays—involved depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, other mental health disorders, and substance use related disorders in 2007. 

Substance abuse related disorders were the number one mental health condition requiring hospitalization, followed by dementia.  Nearly one in every two stays of uninsured patients was related to a mental health or substance abuse disorder.

 

Marya Grambs, Executive Director of Mental Health America of Hawai`i, comments, “Community hospitals play an important role in the treatment of people with mental health and substance abuse disorders in Hawaii.  The significant number of hospital stays related to these disorders signals the need for an increased effort locally to identify and intervene early before the conditions require a hospital stay.”