Similar Clinical and Demographic Profile of Immigrant and Native Patients in an Acute Psychiatric Unit

2009

Aims:The recent increase of immigrant population in some European countries represents a new social reality demanding an update of psychiatric clinical practice and resources. We aimed to:1.compare the clinical and demographic profile of immigrant patients admitted to a Spanish acute psychiatric ward with that of native patients, and2.detect changes over the last years regarding both the profile and the occupation of psychiatric beds.Method:Demographic and clinical data of immigrant patients admitted to the Doctor Peset University Hospital acute unit during 2005-2007 were retrospectively analyzed. For each case, a non-immigrant patient was assigned as a control. Immigrant subjects hospitali…