Absconding of patients from an independent UK psychiatric hospital: a 3-year retrospective analysis of events and characteristics of absconders

The need for accurate local information on the scale, nature and outcome of abscondingor Absence Without Leave (AWOL) from an independent UK psychiatric hospital led tothis 3-year (1997–1999) retrospective analysis of of AWOL data. One hundred andforty-eight AWOL incidents involving 88 patients were identified. Absconders werefound to be significantly younger, more likely to be detained upon admission and morelikely to be unmarried than a control group (n= 1378) of non-absconders. There were nosignificant differences for sex, length of admission or ethnicity. Descriptive data on thecircumstances surrounding AWOL events are given, with at least 24 (16.2%) incidentshaving serious adverse outcomes. Baseline absconding rates are presented for the spe-cialist clinical divisions within the hospital. There is a need for more detailed studies ofabsconding by patients within the Adolescent Mental Health Service subgroup where theabsconding rate was relatively high and engagement in risk activity whilst AWOL rela-tively frequent.