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Immigration and psychopathology: a clinical study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2020

E Charalabaki ,
F Bauwens ,
G Stefos ,
MG Madianos  and
J Mendlewicz
E Charalabaki*
Affiliation:
Psychiatric Hospital of Athens, 360 Athinon Av, 12462 Dafni, Athens, Greece
F Bauwens
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Free Universily of Brussels, Erasme Hospital, Route de Lennik 808, B-1070Brussels, Belgium
G Stefos
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Free Universily of Brussels, Erasme Hospital, Route de Lennik 808, B-1070Brussels, Belgium
MG Madianos
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Medical School, University of Athens, 74 Vasilissis Sofias Av, 1523Athens, Greece
J Mendlewicz
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Free Universily of Brussels, Erasme Hospital, Route de Lennik 808, B-1070Brussels, Belgium
*
*Correspondence and reprints: E Charalabaki, El Venizelou 49A, 15236 P Penteli, Athens, Greece.
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Summary

Three groups of 342 Greek, Iberian and Belgian psychiatric patients were compared, matched for sex, age, and time of hospitalization in a university hospital in Brussels. Schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder/atypical psychosis were diagnosed more among immigrant patients. Somatic anxiety, loss of libido, delusions and hallucinations were symptoms that clinicians observed more in immigrant than in native patients. Atypical symptomatology and change of diagnosis were more likely to occur among immigrant patients. A higher proportion of second generation immigrant patients had a diagnosis of schizophrenia than either the first generation or the Belgians. Male immigrant patients were prescribed anxiolytic drugs more frequently than male natives, but were less likely to be referred to psychotherapy. The authors query whether these findings derive from specificities in the use of psychiatric services and/or from biases in clinicians'attitudes towards patients of different ethnic origin.

Keywords

immigrationmental health servicespsychiatric evaluationcare
Type
Original article
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 10 , Issue 5 , 1995 , pp. 237 - 244
Copyright
Copyright © Elsevier, Paris 1995

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