The high prevalence of those called “revolving-door patients” continue supposing a high sanitary cost. The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with multiple admissions in a psychiatric unit.

The sample included all patients hospitalized in a psychiatric unit at the hospital “Virgen de las Nieves” in the city of Granada (southern Spain), during the time period between 1998 and 2006 (n=1873). There is no consensus in the literature with regard to the definition of the “revolving-door phenomenon”. Basing on prior studies (Woogh, 1990; Thornicroft et al., 1992), we defined "revolving-door patients” as those who had been hospitalized eight or more times in an eight-year period (an average of at least an admission per year).

The prevalence of revolving-door patients was 10% (186/1873). The condition of revolving-door patients was associated with male sex (OR=1.5; IC 95%: 1.1-2.1), with a marital status different from the married one (OR=1.8; IC 95%: 1.3-2.6), and with the diagnoses of schizophrenia (OR=3.3; IC 95%: 2.4-4.6), schizoaffective disorder (OR=3.8; IC 95%: 2.3-6.5), bipolar disorder (OR=2.1; IC 95%: 1.4-3.2) and personality disorder (OR=2.2; IC 95%: 1.3-3.5).

Male sex, marital status different from the married one and the diagnoses of schizoaffective disorder or schizophrenia may be a risk factor of readmission in a psychiatric unit. A better comprehension about the characteristics of these patients may help to establish more effective strategies to board the psychiatric community.