The NPIRS Team in the National Health Information Systems Unit of the Health Research Board (HRB) is pleased to present this summary on the eighth Irish psychiatric in-patient census. The full census report includes a more detailed presentation of data by socio-demographic, diagnostic, legal category and length of stay variables.

Almost one-third (31%) of residents on census night had a diagnosis of schizophrenia; 17% had a diagnosis of depressive disorders; 11% had a diagnosis of organic mental disorder; and 8% had a diagnosis of mania. Patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia had the highest rate of hospitalisation, at 16.4 per 100,000 population, followed by depressive disorders, at 8.8, and organic mental disorders, at 5.6.