FIFTEEN per cent of Fiji's adult population suffer from mental illness.
St Giles Hospital senior nursing sister and training co-ordinator Miliakere Nasorovakawalu said while the hospital catered for adults and a person aged 15 years, the youngest patient is a 14-year-old.
"With this, they had to refer to the Child Decree, Social Welfare Decree and other related laws and acts in order to admit a patient below 15," she said.
Figures show there is one psychiatrist to 5000 mental illness patients across Fiji.
"The ratio is also the case for mental health specialised nurses," she said.
She said there was no acceptable ratio in Fiji because they were still working on it," Mrs Nasorovakawalu said.
"This is the case in the three divisional hospitals — Suva, Lautoka and Labasa in Fiji.
"Currently, there are three psychiatrists with 29 specialised nurses."
Mrs Nasorovakawalu said mental illness must be reviewed urgently because the Health Ministry had predicted that by 2020, depression would be the second killer disease.