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Ethnic differences in the utilization of mental health services in Lombardy (Italy): an epidemiological analysis

Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology volume 50, pages 59–65 (2015)Cite this article

Abstract

Purpose

To analyze the differences in mental health service utilization by immigrant and native populations of Lombardy, an Italian region that hosts one-fourth of the immigrants living in Italy.

Method

The data are drawn from the regional mental health information system (based on the case register model), which supplies information on the users and mental health activities of the Departments of Mental Health, Lombardy, a region of about 10 million people; 139,775 adult users were treated in mental health services in 2010.

Results

Mental health services are used by 11.3 immigrant users out of 1,000 immigrants (with marked differences depending on country of origin) compared with 17.0 native users. Acute mental health services are used more frequently by immigrant patients; the types of intervention provided to immigrants differ from those provided to the native population (mainly as far as psychotherapeutic interventions is concerned), while gender differences are substantial.

Conclusions

The number of immigrant users using mental health services has increased notably in recent years, and in Lombardy it has been observed that the use of such services differs from service unit to service unit. This raises the problem of how to increase the cultural awareness of mental health professionals dealing with the mental health needs of the immigrant population. On the whole, immigrants use community mental health services less than the native population; however, immigrants tend to be more frequently admitted to general hospital psychiatric units during acute phases and both the utilization rates and gender differ greatly, depending on the country of origin.

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Conflict of interest

On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.

Author information

Affiliations

  1. Community Mental Health Centre, Cremona Hospital, Cremona, CR, Italy

    Franco Spinogatti

  2. Directorate General for Health, Regione Lombardia, Milan, Italy

    Graziella Civenti

  3. Regional Centre for Pharmacovigilance, Lombardy, Milan, Italy

    Valentino Conti

  4. Mental Health Department, Lecco Hospital, Lecco, Italy

    Antonio Lora

Authors
  1. Franco Spinogatti
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  2. Graziella Civenti
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  3. Valentino Conti
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  4. Antonio Lora
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Franco Spinogatti.

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Spinogatti, F., Civenti, G., Conti, V. et al. Ethnic differences in the utilization of mental health services in Lombardy (Italy): an epidemiological analysis. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 50, 59–65 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-014-0922-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-014-0922-0

Keywords

  • Human migration
  • Immigrants
  • Mental health service
  • Mental disorders
  • Lombardy