Patients of immigrant origin in inpatient psychiatric facilities. Differences between first and second generation: nationwide questionnaire of the Psychiatry and Migration Working Group of the German Federal Conference of Psychiatric Hospital Directors

In a representative nationwide survey, the Psychiatry and Migration Working Group of the German Federal Conference of Psychiatric Hospital Directors 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 responded by the specified deadline (19 July 2006). In our study, persons of immigrant origin comprised 17% of patients in the responding facilities, which confirmed the results of the pilot study in 2004 of 17.4%. 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 (18.6%, Microcensus 2005). In this main study 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. With reference to the F2 diagnoses there were no noticeable differences between first generation of inpatients with migration history and second generation of inpatients with migration history. There were however more first generation of inpatients with migration history diagnosed with affective disorders whereas more second generation of inpatients with migration history were diagnosed with personality and behavioural disorders. Such differences were not found in the group of patients without immigrant origin. Whilst first generation of inpatients with migration history demonstrated higher educational levels, second generation of inpatients with migration history showed fewer linguistic difficulties.