title: The incidence of mania: time trends in relation to gender and ethnicity.
abstract: In order to investigate conflicting reports about possible changes in the incidence of mania, we established first contact rates for mania in the defined area of Camberwell between 1965 and 1984. There was some evidence for an increase in the first contact rate of mania, especially in females. This rise may be associated with the influx into Camberwell of individuals of Afro-Caribbean origin who showed significantly higher rates than the white group [adjusted rate ratio 3.1; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.4-6.9] and more often displayed mixed manic and schizophrenic symptomatology (risk ratio 2.2; 95% CI 1.1-4.3). We conclude that the incidence of mania has not decreased and may actually have increased. High rates of mental illness among members of ethnic minorities are not specific to schizophrenia, suggesting that a risk factor common to both manic and schizophrenic illness is more prevalent among these groups.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Medicine, King's College Hospital, London, UK.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: van Os
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Takei
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Castle
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wessely
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Der
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: MacDonald
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Murray
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012559:Schizophrenia; D012737:Sex Factors; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000208:ethnology; D014900:West Indies