INDUSTRY STATISTICS: Average Length Of Stay Varies By Diagnosis, But Is Stable Over Time

OPEN MINDS The Behavioral Health & Social Service Industry Analyst Industry Statistics Wide variations exist in the average length of stay (ALOS) of various behavioral health diagnostic groups. Manic depressive psychoses and bipolar disorders had the longest ALOS at 16.2 days according to a recent study by OPEN MINDS. Stays for treatment of schizophrenia and major depressive disorders were only marginally shorter, with ALOS of 15.6 and 15.2 days, respectively. Figure 1 shows ALOS by selected diagnostic categories representing the major sources of discharges of patients treated for mental and chemical dependency problems. It also illustrates that . . .