REDUCTION OF PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITALIZATION AFTER REVISIONS FOR MENTAL HEALTH AND WELFARE ACT
Author(s)
Yuexiang Ji, BSc, MSc candidate1, Takehiro Ishida, DrPH2, Satoshi Yamaguchi, MSc1, Amy Crawley, BA candidate1, Ayaka Mukuta, BA candidate1, Shu Sasaki, BSN candidate1, Suzuho Matsuda, BA candidate1, SHIORI TOSHIMITSU, BA1, Tomoya Ookado, MBA1, Yui Higa, BA candidate1.
1Glocal Innovator & Future Talent Society, Tokyo, Japan, 2Teikyo University Graduate School of Public Health, Tokyo, Japan.
1Glocal Innovator & Future Talent Society, Tokyo, Japan, 2Teikyo University Graduate School of Public Health, Tokyo, Japan.
OBJECTIVES: Japan faces exceptionally long psychiatric hospital stays, averaging 277 days in 2020. The Mental Health and Welfare Act was revised in 2022 to shorten these stays. This study evaluated the effectiveness of the 2022 legal revisions in reducing psychiatric hospitalizations in Japan.
METHODS: A nationwide serial cross-sectional study was conducted using annual Japanese Mental Health and Welfare Survey (630 Survey) data from June 2021 to June 2024. Long-term hospitalization was defined as continuous stay for one year or more. The number of psychiatric inpatients per 100,000 people was defined as the outcome variable. Paired t-test was performed across 47 prefectures between FY2021 and FY2024, with p-values < 0.01 considered statistically significant.
RESULTS: From 2021 to 2024, the number of long-term psychiatric inpatients per 100,000 people among patients under 65 decreased by 11.0% (45.9 to 40.8), and among those aged 65 or above decreased by 5.9% (85.0 to 79.9). The number of total psychiatric inpatients per 100,000 people decreased by 3.4% (209.6 to 202.4). Across 47 prefectures, the prefecture-level average number of long-term psychiatric inpatients per 100,000 decreased from 165.9 (95% CI: 144.8-187.1) to 156.4 (95% CI: 135.6-177.2) (P < 0.05), with a mean reduction ratio of 5.8% (95% CI: 5.3-6.4). The prefecture-level average number of total psychiatric inpatients per 100,000 declined from 261.4 (95% CI: 230.7-292.2) to 256.0 (95% CI: 225.7-286.3) (P < 0.05), with a mean reduction ratio of 2.1% (95% CI: 2.0-2.2).
CONCLUSIONS: Long-term psychiatric hospitalizations reduced following the 2022 revisions of the Mental Health and Welfare Act in Japan, particularly among patients under 65.
METHODS: A nationwide serial cross-sectional study was conducted using annual Japanese Mental Health and Welfare Survey (630 Survey) data from June 2021 to June 2024. Long-term hospitalization was defined as continuous stay for one year or more. The number of psychiatric inpatients per 100,000 people was defined as the outcome variable. Paired t-test was performed across 47 prefectures between FY2021 and FY2024, with p-values < 0.01 considered statistically significant.
RESULTS: From 2021 to 2024, the number of long-term psychiatric inpatients per 100,000 people among patients under 65 decreased by 11.0% (45.9 to 40.8), and among those aged 65 or above decreased by 5.9% (85.0 to 79.9). The number of total psychiatric inpatients per 100,000 people decreased by 3.4% (209.6 to 202.4). Across 47 prefectures, the prefecture-level average number of long-term psychiatric inpatients per 100,000 decreased from 165.9 (95% CI: 144.8-187.1) to 156.4 (95% CI: 135.6-177.2) (P < 0.05), with a mean reduction ratio of 5.8% (95% CI: 5.3-6.4). The prefecture-level average number of total psychiatric inpatients per 100,000 declined from 261.4 (95% CI: 230.7-292.2) to 256.0 (95% CI: 225.7-286.3) (P < 0.05), with a mean reduction ratio of 2.1% (95% CI: 2.0-2.2).
CONCLUSIONS: Long-term psychiatric hospitalizations reduced following the 2022 revisions of the Mental Health and Welfare Act in Japan, particularly among patients under 65.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2026-09, ISPOR Asia Pacific 2026, Bangkok, Thailand
Value in Health, Volume 55, Issue S1
Code
HSD10
Topic
Health Service Delivery & Process of Care