Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rdxmf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-20T17:42:49.299Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Psychiatric Morbidity and Compulsory Admission Among UK-Born Europeans, Afro-Caribbeans and Asians in Central Manchester

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Christopher S. Thomas*
Affiliation:
University of Manchester, Rawnsley Building, Manchester Royal Infirmary (Withington Hospital, Manchester M20 8LR)
Kit Stone
Affiliation:
Hope Hospital, Manchester
Madeline Osborn
Affiliation:
Rawnsley Building, Manchester Royal Infirmary
Philip F. Thomas
Affiliation:
Rawnsley Building, Manchester Royal Infirmary
Mark Fisher
Affiliation:
Rawnsley Building, Manchester Royal Infirmary
*
Department of Psychiatry, Withington Hospital, Manchester M20 8LR

Abstract

Psychiatric admissions in Central Manchester of Europeans, Afro-Caribbeans, and Asians (within three age-bands) were studied over four years. Among the Afro-Caribbean group there were more single or unemployed persons than in either the Asian or European groups, which suggested greater socio-economic disadvantage. Rates for first admissions and readmissions among Afro-Caribbeans were greater; among Asians they were similar except for the 16–29-year age-group, who tended to have lower rates than Europeans. A higher proportion of Afro-Caribbeans and Asians were psychotic. In the Afro-Caribbean group, the raised rates of admission were largely attributable to increased rates of schizophrenia. The highest rate occurred in second-generation (UK-born) Afro-Caribbeans and was nine times that among Europeans. The police were more frequently involved in the admissions of Afro-Caribbeans compared with Europeans or Asians. Higher proportions of Afro-Caribbeans and Asians who were readmitted were detained under the Mental Health Act 1983, when compared with Europeans.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bebbington, P. E., Hurry, J. & Tennant, C. (1981) Psychiatric disorders in selected immigrant groups in Camberwell. Social Psychiatry, 16, 4351.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brewin, C. (1980) Explaining the lower rates of psychiatric treatment among Asian immigrants in the United Kingdom: a preliminary study. Social Psychiatry, 15, 1719.Google Scholar
Burke, A. W. (1974) First admissions and planning in Jamaica. Social Psychiatry, 9, 3945.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carpenter, L. & Brockington, I. F. (1980) A study of Asians, West Indians and Africans living in Manchester. British Journal of Psychiatry, 137, 201205.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cochrane, R. (1977) Mental illness in immigrants to England and Wales. Social Psychiatry, 12, 2535.Google Scholar
Cochrane, R. (1983) The Social Creations of Mental Illness. London: Longmans.Google Scholar
Cochrane, R. & Bal, S. S. (1987) Migration and schizophrenia: an examination of five hypotheses. Social Psychiatry, 22, 181191.Google Scholar
Cochrane, R. & Bal, S. S. (1989) Mental hospital admission rates of immigrants to England: a comparison of 1971 and 1981. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 24, 211.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cooper, B. (1966) Psychiatric disorder in hospital and general practice. Social Psychiatry, 1, 710.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Deakin, N. (1970) Colour, Citizenship and British Society. London: Panther.Google Scholar
Dean, G., Walsh, D., Downing, H., et al (1981) First admissions of native-born and immigrants to psychiatric hospital in South-East England 1976. British Journal of Psychiatry, 139, 506512.Google Scholar
Diem, K. & Lentner, C. (1970) Scientific tables. In Documenta Geigy (eds Diem, K. & Lentner, C.) (7th edn). Basel: Geigy.Google Scholar
Faris, R. E. L. & Dunham, H. W. (1939) Mental Disorders in Urban Areas. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Gardner, M. J. & Altman, D. G. (1986) Confidence intervals rather than P values: estimation rather than hypothesis testing. British Medical Journal, 292, 746750.Google Scholar
Giggs, J. A. & Cooper, J. E. (1987) Ecological structure and the distribution of schizophrenia and affective psychoses in Nottingham. British Journal of Psychiatry, 151, 627633.Google Scholar
Glover, G. R. (1987) 993W: Birthplace not stated or born at sea. Psychological Medicine, 17, 10091012.Google Scholar
Glover, G. R. (1989) The pattern of psychiatric admissions of Caribbean-born immigrants in London. Social Psychiatry, 24, 4956.Google Scholar
Goldberg, D. P. & Huxley, P. (1980) Mental Illness in the Community. London: Tavistock.Google Scholar
Hare, E. H. (1956) Mental illness and social conditions in Bristol. Journal of Mental Science, 102, 340357.Google Scholar
Harrison, G., Ineichen, B., Smith, J., et al (1984) Psychiatric hospital admissions in Bristol II. Social and clinical aspects of compulsory admission. British Journal of Psychiatry, 145, 605611.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Harrison, G., Owens, D., Holton, A., et al (1988) A prospective study of severe mental disorder in Afro-Caribbean patients. Psychological Medicine, 18, 643657.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Harrison, G., Holton, A., Neilson, D., et al (1989) Severe mental disorder in Afro-Caribbean patients: some social, demographic and service factors. Psychological Medicine, 19, 683696.Google Scholar
Hashmi, F. (1968) Community psychiatric problems among Birmingham immigrants. British Journal of Social Psychiatry, 2, 196201.Google Scholar
Hemsi, L. K. (1967) Psychiatric morbidity of West Indian immigrants. Social Psychiatry, 2, 95100.Google Scholar
Ineichen, B., Harrison, G. & Morgan, H. C. (1984) Psychiatric admissions in Bristol. I. Geographical and ethnic factors. British Journal of Psychiatry, 145, 600611.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kiev, A. (1965) Psychiatric morbidity of West Indians in an urban group practice. British Journal of Psychiatry, 111, 5156.Google Scholar
Landau, N. (1986) Statistics of London's Ethnic Minorities, 1979 and 1981 (GLC statistical series no. 40). London: Greater London Council.Google Scholar
Littlewood, R. (1986) Ethnic minorities and the Mental Health Act: patterns of explanation. Psychiatric Bulletin, 10, 306308.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Littlewood, R. & Lipsedge, M. (1981) Some social and phenomenological characteristics of psychotic immigrants. Psychological Medicine, 11, 289302.Google Scholar
Littlewood, R. & Lipsedge, M. (1988) Psychiatric illness amongst British Afro-Caribbeans. British Medical Journal, 296, 950951.Google Scholar
McGovern, D. & Cope, R. (1987a) First psychiatric admission rates of first and second generation Afro-Caribbeans. Social Psychiatry, 22, 139149.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McGovern, D. & Cope, R. (1987b) The compulsory detention of males of different ethnic groups, with special reference to offender patients. British Journal of Psychiatry, 150, 505512.Google Scholar
Mukherjee, S., Shukla, S., Woodle, J., et al (1983) Misdiagnosis of schizophrenia in bipolar patients - a multiethnic comparison. American Journal of Psychiatry, 140, 15711572.Google Scholar
Odegaard, O. (1932) Immigration and insanity: a study of mental disease among the Norwegian-born population in Minnesota. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica (suppl.) 4, 1206.Google Scholar
Office of Population and Censuses & Surveys (OPCS) (1981a) Small Area Statistics - Central Manchester (Tables 4 & 37 from 1981 Census, derived from SASPAC) (unpublished). London: OPCS.Google Scholar
Office of Population and Censuses & Surveys (1981b) Small Area Statistics - Central Manchester (Table 3 DT 0753U, from 1981 Census, derived from SASPAC) (unpublished). London: OPCS.Google Scholar
Office of Population and Censuses & Surveys (1982) Labour Force Survey 1981. London: HMSO.Google Scholar
Office of Population and Censuses & Surveys (1986a) Estimating the size of ethnic minority populations in the 1980s. In Population Trends 44. London: HMSO.Google Scholar
Office of Population and Censuses & Surveys (1986b) The Labour Force Survey 1983 and 1984 (series LFS no. 4). London: HMSO.Google Scholar
Pinto, R. (1974) A comparison of illness patterns in Asians and English patients. Indian Psychiatry, 16, 203210.Google Scholar
Royes, K. (1962) The incidence of features of psychosis in a Caribbean community. In Proceedings of the Third World Congress of Psychiatry. Montreal: University of Toronto Press & McGill University Press.Google Scholar
Rwegellera, G. G. C. (1977) Psychiatric morbidity among West Africans and West Indians living in London. Psychological Medicine, 7, 317329.Google Scholar
Rwegellera, G. G. C. (1980) Differential use of psychiatric services by West Indians, West Africans and English in London. British Journal of Psychiatry, 137, 428432.Google Scholar
Sartorius, N., Jablensky, A., Korten, A., et al (1986) Early manifestations and first-contact incidence of schizophrenia in different cultures. Psychological Medicine, 16, 909928.Google Scholar
Shetty, G. & Higgo, R. (1987) Compulsory detention of males of different ethnic groups. British Journal of Psychiatry, 151, 270.Google Scholar
Spencer, D. J. (1970) Cannabis induced psychosis. West Indian Medical Journal, 19, 228230.Google Scholar
Spttzer, R. L., Endicoott, J. & Robins, E. (1978) Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC) for a Selected Group of Functional Disorders (3rd edn). New York: New York State Psychiatric Institute.Google Scholar
Stone, C. W. & Osborn, M. F. (1993) A comparison of psychotic Afro-Caribbean and indigenous white patients. Social Psychiatry (in press).Google Scholar
Wing, J. K., Cooper, J. E. & Sartorius, N. (1974) Measurement and Classification of Psychiatric Symptoms. An Instruction Manual for the Present State Examination (PSE) and Catego Program. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
World Health Organization (1978) Mental Disorders: Glossary and Guide to their Classification in Accordance with the Ninth Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-9). Geneva: WHO.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.