Key Messages
Hospital Admission Trends Over Time
Hospital Admissions by Age and Sex
Hospital Admissions and Marginalization
Emergency Department Visit Trends Over Time
Emergency Department Visits by Age and Sex
Emergency Department Visits and Marginalization
Reasons for Admission or Visit
Technical Notes
Key Messages
- Personality disorder-related hospital admissions and emergency department visits increased from 2014 to 2021; whereas emergency department visits decreased from 2018 to 2020, but increased in 2021 to levels similar to pre-pandemic.
- In 2020 and 2021, there were higher rates of hospital admissions related to personality disorder in Simcoe Muskoka than Ontario. In 2016 to 2021, there were lower rates of emergency department visits in Simcoe Muskoka than there were across Ontario.
- Females, adults aged 20 to 44, and people living areas with higher levels of deprivation had higher rates of personality disorder-related hospital admissions and emergency department visits.
- In 2021, the age-standardized rate of personality disorder-related hospital admissions was 31 (26.6, 36.2) per 100,000 persons in Simcoe Muskoka.
- This was significantly higher than the Ontario rate of 22 (20.9, 22.4) per 100,000 persons.
- In 2021, there were over 170 personality disorder-related hospital admissions per year among Simcoe Muskoka residents, which was more than double the fewer than 50 admissions in 2011.
- There was a significant increase in the age-standardized rate of personality disorder-related hospital admissions in Simcoe Muskoka and provincially from 2014 to 2021. The local and provincial rates in 2020 were not significantly different from the rates in 2019, but the increasing trend continued in 2021.
Hospital Admissions by Age and Sex
- There was a significantly higher age-standardized rate of personality disorder-related hospital admissions among females, with 34 (31.3, 37.7) admissions per 100,000 females, compared to 13 (10.9, 14.7) admissions per 100,000 males for 2017 to 2021 (combined).
- Adults aged 20 to 44 years had the highest age-specific rate of personality disorder-related hospital admissions, with 42 (37.9, 46.5) admissions per 100,000 persons in Simcoe Muskoka.
- The pattern of age and sex-specific rates across Ontario were similar to the rates in Simcoe Muskoka.
Hospital Admissions by Marginalization
- There were three times as many hospital admissions for personality disorders among people living in areas with the highest level of material deprivation, compared to people living in areas with the lowest level of material deprivation.
- From 2017 to 2021, there were 48 (41.1, 56.5) personality disorder-related hospital admissions per 100,000 people who live in areas with the highest levels of material deprivation compared with 14 (9.7, 19.1) admissions per 100,000 among those living in areas with the lowest levels of deprivation.
Emergency Department Visits Trends Over Time
- The number of personality disorder-related emergency department visits in Simcoe Muskoka residents more than doubled from about 60 in 2011 to over 160 in 2018; however, visits dropped slightly in 2019 and 2020 before rebounding in 2021.
- The age-standardized rate for personality disorder-related emergency department visits increased from 13 (9.9, 16.5) visits per 100,000 persons in 2011 to 29 (24.2, 34.4) visits per 100,000 in 2021.
- The local rates have been significantly lower than the provincial average for eight of the past 10 years of available data.
Emergency Department Visits by Age and Sex
- There was a significantly higher age-standardized rate of emergency department visits related to personality disorders among females, with 40 (36.9, 43.8) visits per 100,000 females, compared to 15 (13.0, 17.2) visits per 100,000 males in Simcoe Muskoka from 201 to 2021 combined.
- Adults aged 20-44 had significantly higher rates of emergency department visits related to personality disorder, with an age-specific rate of 49 (44.3, 53.5) visits per 100,000 persons in Simcoe Muskoka, and 78 (77.4, 79.6) visits per 100,000 persons in Ontario.
- There was a wider gap in age-specific rates of personality disorder-related emergency department visits in Ontario compared to Simcoe Muskoka.
Emergency Department Visits and Marginalization
The age-standardized rate of personality disorder-related emergency department visits was three times higher among those living in the most deprived areas with 66 (57.0, 75.1) visits per 100,000 population in Simcoe Muskoka compared to those living in the least deprived areas with 18 (13.6, 24.2) visits per 100,000 population.
Reasons for Admission or Visit
- The most common diagnosis among personality disorder-related hospital admissions and emergency department visits was for borderline personality disorder.
Technical Notes
Personality disorders are characterised by a lack of healthy adaptability and coping mechanisms for responding to stressful situations. There are three main clusters of personality disorders: paranoid, schizoid and schizotypal personality disorders; impulsive personality disorders; and anxious personality disorders.
The specific diagnostic codes used to identify personality disorder-related hospital admissions and emergency department visits are presented on the OMHRS data source page.
Further Reading
For more information on personality disorders, see:
Page Last Modified: February 1, 2023.