Alcohol-related hospital treatment is increasing

More and more people have to be hospitalized for alcohol-related mental illnesses

07/22/2013

Drastic increase in alcohol-related hospital inpatient treatment in Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg. The worrying trend that has been observable for years is continuing according to the latest figures from the Statistics Office North. Therefore, more and more people have to „psychological and behavioral disorders, which were triggered by the consumption of alcohol, inpatient treatment in a hospital“ become. In Schleswig-Holstein, the number of such treatments rose in 2011, according to the statistics office North by about three percent compared to the previous year, in Hamburg even by as much as ten percent.

In Schleswig-Holstein, more than 13,600 people were hospitalized in 2011 for their alcohol-related mental illnesses. In Hamburg, according to official Zhalen, this was the case for around 6,500 people. The medium-term figures covering the period from 2006 to 2011 show a worrying development. In Schleswig-Holstein, the number of inpatient treatment due to alcohol-related mental illness has risen by 16 percent since 2006 and by 25 percent in Hamburg. Men were significantly more affected than women (72 percent in Schleswig-Holstein, 73 percent in Hamburg). About half of all patients receiving full-time care were between 40 and 54 years old in both Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein.

Chronic alcoholism is the leading cause of inpatient treatment
Of the alcohol-related hospital stays completed in 2011, Schleswig-Holstein had diagnosed a dependency syndrome or chronic alcoholism in 47 percent (Hamburg 63 percent). In 31 percent of treatment cases in Schleswig-Holstein (16 percent in Hamburg) acute alcohol intoxication triggered the hospital stay and in 16 percent (14 percent in Hamburg) the withdrawal symptoms due to alcohol addiction made hospital treatment necessary. In Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, there were five alcohol-related hospital treatments in 2011, four in Hamburg. While young people's alcohol problems have been increasingly discussed in recent years, the high proportion of 40 to 54-year-olds seems to urgently require a rethink in order to adequately reach this age group with appropriate prevention campaigns. (Fp)

Picture credits: A. Reinkober