These researchers retrospectively analysed sociodemographic and diagnostic data from an acute child and adolescent psychiatric inpatient unit in the North Island between January 1998 and December 2007. Over half of all 1109 discharges (53.4%; n=588) in the 10-year review period involved young people who identified as European, with the remaining sample identifying as NZ Māori (29.1%; n=321), Pacific Islander (7.4%; n=82), Asian (7.1%; n=78), or Other (3.0%; n=33). Māori young people were over-represented in the discharges and Pacific Island young people underrepresented compared to the ethnic proportions of the relevant age group of the catchment area of the unit. The number of discharges significantly increased over the 10 years, with 68% more discharges in 2007 compared to 1998, and a linear trend of 8 additional discharges per year. Significant linear trends of increasing proportions of psychotic disorders and decreasing proportions of affective, bipolar affective, personality traits, suicidal/selfharm, and externalising behaviour disorders were observed. There was also a significant decrease in the proportion of discharges of young people of European descent and a significant increase in proportion of discharges of those of Māori descent. There was no significant change in length of stay over time.
