Editor—Shajahan and Cavanagh report a decline in the ratio of the rates of women to men first admitted to Scottish hospitals for depression from 1980 to 1995.1 The Health Research Board has data from Irish hospitals over 20 years, for which almost identical diagnostic categories were used (ICD-9, 296.1, 296.3, 298.0, 300.4, 309.0, 309.1, and 311). These data give little support to the Scottish experience (figure). Nor do they support an increasing rate of first admissions for men.
Figure.
Rates of first admission to hospital for depressive disorders for women and men per 10 000 population in Republic of Ireland, 1975-96
References
- 1.Shajahan P, Cavanagh J. Admission for depression among men in Scotland, 1980-95: retrospective study. BMJ. 1998;316:1496–1497. doi: 10.1136/bmj.316.7143.1496. . (16 May.) [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]