[The mental health of ethnic minorities in the United Kingdom]

Abstract

The major recent migrations into the United Kingdom took place between 1950 and 1970 from the Caribbean and the Indian sub-continent. According to the 1991 Census, 6% of the population were non-Europeans. Afro-Caribbeans have shown high psychiatric admission rates; there is no clear pattern for "British Asians" (i.e. those from the Indian sub-continent). High rates for compulsory admissions have been reported for Afro-Caribbeans but not Asians. This appears related to similar patterns for the diagnosis of schizophrenia. The excess of schizophrenia among Afro-Caribbeans has been the subject of controversy in terms both of aetiology and service provision. In this article, the mental health of smaller ethnic minority groups is discussed briefly.