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Patients of immigrant origin in inpatient psychiatric facilities

A representative national survey by the Psychiatry and Migration Working Group of the German Federal Conference of Psychiatric Hospital Directors

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2020

M. Schouler-Ocak*
Affiliation:
Psychiatrische Universitätsklinik der Charité im St Hedwig-Krankenhaus Berlin
H.J. Bretz
Affiliation:
Psychiatrische Universitätsklinik der Charité im St Hedwig-Krankenhaus Berlin
S. Penka
Affiliation:
Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, CCM
E. Koch
Affiliation:
Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie Marburg-Süd
N. Hartkamp
Affiliation:
Abteilung für Psychosomatische Medizin, Stiftungsklinikum Mittelrhein, Gesundheitszentrum zum Hl Geist, Boppard
R.G. Siefen
Affiliation:
Klinik für Kinder-und Jungendmedizin der Ruhruniversität, St Josef Hospital, Bachum
R. Schepker
Affiliation:
Abteilung für Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie und -psychotherapie Universität Ulm/ ZfP Die Weissenau
M. Özek
Affiliation:
Psychiatrische Klinik der Medizinischen Fakultät, İstanbul Universität
I. Hauth
Affiliation:
Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie St. Joseph-Krankenhaus Berlin – Weißensee
A. Heinz
Affiliation:
Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, CCM
*
*Corresponding author. E-mail: meryam.schouler-ocak@charite.de (M. Schouler-Ocak).
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Abstract

In a representative nationwide survey, the Psychiatry and Migration Working Group of the German Federal Conference of Psychiatric Hospital Directors (Bundesdirektorenkonferenz) examined the use of inpatient psychiatric and psychotherapeutic services in Germany by patients of immigrant origin. Questionnaires were sent to a total of 350 general hospital psychiatric clinics throughout Germany, and 131 clinics responded. As shown by the 2005 Microcensus [22], almost one-fifth (18.6%) of the German population is of immigrant origin. In our study, persons of immigrant origin comprised 17% of patients in the responding facilities. This indicates that the percentage of inpatient psychiatric services used by patients of immigrant origin is almost proportionate to these patients’ percentage of the general population. The largest group of immigrant patients in our study were those of Russian heritage, followed by patients of Turkish, Arabic, or other origin. Almost two-thirds of the immigrant patients were born in Germany, and a considerably larger percentage were German citizens (74%). Sixty-two per cent of all patients of immigrant origin spoke a language other than German (e.g. Russian, Turkish, Polish) at home. Patients of immigrant origin were significantly more likely to receive an ICD-10 F2 diagnosis, and it was precisely patients with this diagnosis who were observed to experience difficulties in communication with caregivers.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © European Psychiatric Association 2008

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