[Foreign patients in a community psychiatry centre]

Over the last ten years more patients have been referred to the District Psychiatric Centre (DPC) in Odense. We therefore found it relevant to investigate the following in this study: - To register patients with foreign background, who are receiving psychiatric treatment in DPC. - Through a nested case control study to evaluate if/how foreign patients in DPC differ from the remaining patient group.

The study was a nested case control study. Relevant clinical information concerning foreign patients was compared to Danish controls.

A total of 168 patients participated in the study, among these 60 with a foreign background. The study showed that Danish patients more often received early retirement pension, more frequently received 2nd generation antipsychotics, and more frequently received the social support services offered for psychotic patients in the community. Foreign patients more frequently lived with family and children than the Danes. Furthermore, they had a shorter illness duration and had less frequently been admitted to a psychiatric department.

Based on this study it is emphasised that the efforts to assist foreign patients with psychiatric disorders should be improved. I.e. through inexpensive medicine, specialised teams, better coordination between psychiatrist and the municipality, and improved knowledge of the consequences of psychiatric disorders among the foreign patients.