Admission patterns by psychiatric trainees: Are women patients as likely as men to be admitted for major mental illness?

Aims and methods: We hypothesised that the increased admission rate for men with major mental illness may be the result of men being preferentially admitted by psychiatrists. A questionnaire survey was devised and sent to all psychiatric trainees on the South-East Scotland rotation. The questionnaire contained a series of psychiatric vignettes representing conditions varying in severity of risk. Results: Seventy-eight per cent responded to the questionnaire. Trainees were more likely to admit patients representing a greater degree of risk irrespective of the gender of the patient. Clinical implications: The increasing admission rates for men with major mental illness is unlikely to be due to admission bias by trainees.