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Country of birth and hospital treatment for psychosis in New South Wales

Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology volume 48, pages 613–620 (2013)Cite this article

Abstract

Background

Migration has been found to be a risk factor for schizophrenia in several high-income countries.

Aim

To examine whether overseas migrants to New South Wales (NSW) have higher rates of admission to psychiatric hospitals for psychotic disorders, including schizophrenia and mania, compared to people born in Australia.

Methods

The country of birth of people admitted to public mental health units for the treatment of psychotic illness and for non-psychotic disorders between 2001 and 2010 was compared to the country of birth for the NSW population in the 2006 census. Meta-analysis was used to estimate the odds of being admitted for any psychotic disorder, for a schizophrenia-related psychosis and for mania compared to non-psychotic disorder, for those born in Australia, New Zealand and for nine global regions.

Results

Those born in Oceania (including Melanesia, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and other Polynesian islands, but excluding Hawaii and New Zealand) had the highest odds of admission for the treatment of psychosis compared to a non-psychotic disorder and had the highest odds of being admitted with a diagnosis of schizophrenia or mania.

Conclusions

In the years 2001–2010, those born in Oceania were at an increased risk of admission to NSW psychiatric hospitals for the treatment of psychotic illness.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by Schizophrenia Research Institute, utilising infrastructure funding from the NSW Ministry of Health.

Conflict of interest

The authors have no conflicts of interests to declare.

Author information

Affiliations

  1. Discipline of Psychiatry, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia

    Olav Nielssen, Grant Sara & Yen Lim

  2. School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

    Olav Nielssen & Matthew Large

  3. Mental Health Service, St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney, Australia

    Olav Nielssen

  4. Mental Health and Drug and Alcohol Office, NSW Health, Sydney, Australia

    Grant Sara

  5. School of Population Health, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia

    Grant Sara

  6. Mental Health Service, Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, Australia

    Matthew Large

  7. Department of Psychiatry, Prince of Wales Hospital, Barker Street, Randwick, Sydney, NSW, 2031, Australia

    Matthew Large

Authors
  1. Olav Nielssen
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  2. Grant Sara
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  3. Yen Lim
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  4. Matthew Large
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Matthew Large.

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Nielssen, O., Sara, G., Lim, Y. et al. Country of birth and hospital treatment for psychosis in New South Wales. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 48, 613–620 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-012-0577-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-012-0577-7

Keywords

  • Migration
  • Schizophrenia
  • Psychosis
  • Australia