Year: 2008
Type: report
Abstract: After a quarter century in which biomedical approaches have dominated discussions about schizophrenia and the influence of environmental factors has been neglected, interest in social determinants is reviving. Research in the Netherlands and other countries has demonstrated that the risk of a diagnosis of schizophrenia among certain migrant groups is strikingly higher than the norm and that social factors play a major role in this. In the UK, however, many members of minority ethnic groups regard the increased frequencies of these diagnoses and of compulsory admission as evidence of racism. This paper examines this new wave of research studies. The hypothesis of ethnic bias in diagnoses of schizophrenia and compulsory admission orders has never been satisfactorily ruled out. In spite of this, there are many indications that the raised incidence of schizophrenia among certain groups of migrants is genuine. Various explanations of this phenomenon are discussed; quantitative and qualitative research methods can usefully complement each other in this area. In conclusion, ways of improving the care of psychotic patients and reducing the frequency of compulsory admissions are examined.
Author: David Ingleby
Language: English
Topic: Migration, Health and Trauma
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W154013498