Outcome of admission to a medium secure psychiatric unit

Background A follow-up of patients discharged from medium secure psychiatric units is used to compare outcome in patients of different ethnic origin. Aims To test the hypothesis that there are systematic differences in clinical outcome between ethnic groups. Method A descriptive, longitudinal cohort study of discharges from a medium secure unit is used to compare the 125 patients of White/European ethnic origin and the 104 patients of Black/African–Caribbean origin. Results Patients of African – Caribbean origin were admitted at three times the rate of White patients, had a higher prevalence of psychosis and a lower prevalence of personality disorder. There was no difference in outcome as measured by location at follow-up, readmission or re-offending. Conclusions The higher rate of admission of African–Caribbean patients is consistent with a higher level of demand. There is a need for studies of the pathways by which patients from ethnic minorities reach medium-security accommodation, with a view to early intervention.