Background and Aims:
In Portugal, Involuntary Commitment is an exceptional measure, reserved for patients with severe mental illness who refuse treatment and pose danger to themselves or others, established by the Mental Health Law of 1998. Mental Health Services have started to prioritize community-based services, in detriment of institutionalization. This contrasts with the increase of involuntary admissions in the majority of European countries. In Portugal, the amount of data is scarce, and limited to few epidemiological studies.
We aim to establish the sociodemographic and clinical characterization of patients admitted involuntarily to an inpatient service in Vila Nova de Gaia (Portugal).

Methods:
We conducted a descriptive analysis of all patients admitted involuntarily in the year 2017 and a non systematic review of literature.

Results:
In 2017, we had 203 involuntary admissions. Most were male (60,6%), aged less than 54 years (84,7%), non married (68,5%), with up to 12 years of schooling (65,5%) and currently unemployed (42,4%) or receiving a disability pension (23,2%). The majority was already accompanied in outpatient services (73,9%) and had history of prior admissions (55,2%). The main cause for admission was psychosis (51,2%), and the most frequent diagnoses at discharge were schizophrenia, schizotypal and delusional disorders (51,7%).

Conclusions:
The sociodemographic profile of patients in our sample is aligned with previous findings at a national and european level. Most were admitted for psychotic disorders, but also for mood disorders, personality disorders, dementia, and mental retardation. Further studies are needed to characterize patients commited involuntarily and to assess their needs in terms of treatment and social integration.

27th European Congress of Psychiatry