[Are immigrants admitted to emergency psychiatric departments more often than ethnic Norwegians?].
Immigrants from non-Western countries occupy a fifth of the beds in an acute psychiatric department. There is a prevailing clinical impression that they have higher morbidity than the traditional Norwegian population.


METHODS
A one-year cohort of patients, n = 415, was retrospectively investigated, 80 of whom had a non-Western background.


RESULTS
The proportion of immigrant patients from the department's catchment area was 49 in 10 000, compared to 52 in 10 000 for traditional Norwegian patients, p = 0.72. Significantly more of the immigrants were men, they were younger, they got more compulsory treatment, and more often a diagnosis of psychosis, but they had less substance abuse problems. Suicidality was evenly distributed in both groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Our clinical impression of a higher frequency of referral of immigrants was not substantiated. However, it is suggested that immigrants have greater difficulties in presenting their psychiatric problems to a general practitioner; hence they probably develop more severe symptoms before referral. The low incidence of referral of female immigrants could indicate a higher level of functioning, or cultural barriers to exhibiting problems.
Klinikk for psykiatri, Lovisenberg Diakonale Sykehus. john.berg@ahus.no
John E
JE
Berg
Einar
E
Johnsen
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002391:Catchment Area, Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003134:Commitment of Persons with Psychiatric Disorders / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003419:Crisis Intervention / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003906:Developing Countries / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004637:Emergency Services, Psychiatric / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004641:Emigration and Immigration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011567:Psychiatric Department, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012036:Refugees / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012189:Retrospective Studies