Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health
Volume 16, Issue 6, 2014, Pages 1045-1054

Characteristics of Immigrant and Non-Immigrant Patients in a Dual-Diagnosis Psychiatric Ward and Treatment Implications (Article)

Walsh S.D.* , Blass D. , Bensimon-Braverman M. , Barak L.T. , Delayahu Y.
  • a Department of Criminology, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, 52900, Israel
  • b Abarbanel Mental Health Center, Bat Yam, Israel, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD, United States, The Phoebe R. Berman Bioethics Institute, The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD, United States
  • c Department of Criminology, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, 52900, Israel, Abarbanel Mental Health Center, Bat Yam, Israel
  • d Department of Criminology, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, 52900, Israel
  • e Abarbanel Mental Health Center, Bat Yam, Israel, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel

Abstract

Two studies were conducted among patients in a male dual diagnosis (severe mental illness [SMI] with substance use) ward. The research examined the following questions: (1) Do immigrant and non-immigrant dual diagnosis patients exhibit similar or different socio-demographic, clinical and criminological characteristics? (2) What are the implications for treatment of immigrant (and non-immigrant) patients? Study one analyzed computerized hospital records of 413 male patients; Study two examined patient files of a subgroup of 141 (70 immigrant) male patients. Alongside similarities, non-immigrant patients reported higher numbers of repeat and involuntary hospitalizations and more drug use while immigrants showed longer hospitalizations, more suicide attempts, more violent suicide attempts, more violent offenses and more alcohol use. Among non-immigrants significant relationships were found between severity of SMI and crime/violence while among immigrants a significant relationship was found between suicidality and crime/violence. Implications for treatment include need for awareness of suicide risk among immigrant dual-diagnosis patients and an understanding of the differential relationship with crime/violence for the two populations. © 2014, Springer Science+Business Media New York.

Author Keywords

SMI Dual diagnosis Suicide Immigrant Substance use

Index Keywords

Patient Readmission Psychiatric Department, Hospital hospitalization Israel complication human epidemiology middle aged statistics and numerical data comparative study Substance-Related Disorders psychiatric diagnosis length of stay ethnology Mental Disorders Young Adult Humans migrant psychology Adolescent male Emigrants and Immigrants Diagnosis, Dual (Psychiatry) adult hospital readmission psychiatric department crime
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84912042306&doi=10.1007%2fs10903-014-9982-1&partnerID=40&md5=e7d01fb49a487d10fbd714e0356c2ba9
DOI: 10.1007/s10903-014-9982-1
ISSN: 15571912
Cited by: 3
Original Language: English