Vitamin D status of adolescent inpatients in a secure psychiatric hospital.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to use routinely collected data on vitamin D levels of adolescents detained in a secure psychiatric hospital to see if this at-risk group for vitamin D deficiency do in fact have low vitamin D levels. METHODS: Vitamin D blood levels were collated from clinical records of inpatients admitted to Bluebird House, a medium secure adolescent unit, since 2012. Corresponding data were gathered to include gender, ethnic status and age. Blood levels were assessed on admission to the unit and after treatment with vitamin D supplementation, if indicated. RESULTS: Only 3 out of the 35 patients (8.6%) had adequate vitamin D levels (serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25-OHD] > 50 nmol/l). A total of 23 patients (65.7%) had levels consistent with deficiency (25-OHD < 30 nmol/l) with the remaining 9 patients (25.7%) showing levels indicating possible deficiency (25-OHD 30-50 nmol/l. CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin D levels were low in our sample of young people admitted to a secure psychiatric hospital. This is the first published study of vitamin D levels in a secure adolescent psychiatric hospital. The results point to the need for routine prescription of vitamin D to adolescents held in secure conditions such as hospitals, secure children's homes and youth offender institutes.

Schizophrenia and borderline personality disorder: similarities and differences in the experience of auditory hallucinations, paranoia, and childhood trauma.

This study investigated similarities and differences in the experience of auditory hallucinations, paranoia, and childhood trauma in schizophrenia and borderline personality disorder (BPD). Patients with clinical diagnoses of schizophrenia or BPD were interviewed using the Structured Clinical Interviews for DSM-IV. Axes 1 and 2 and auditory hallucinations, paranoia, and childhood trauma were assessed. A total of 111 patients participated; 59 met criteria for schizophrenia, 33 for BPD, and 19 for both. The groups were similar in their experiences of voices, including the perceived location of them, but they differed in frequency of paranoid delusions. Those with a diagnosis of BPD, including those with schizophrenia comorbidity, reported more childhood trauma, especially emotional abuse. BPD and schizophrenia frequently coexist, and this comorbidity has implications for diagnostic classification and treatment. Levels of reported childhood trauma are especially high in those with a BPD diagnosis, whether they have schizophrenia or not, and this requires assessment and appropriate management.