Phencyclidine in an East Harlem psychiatric population

The use of phencyclidine (PCP) was investigated in the psychiatric population of an East Harlem, New York, hospital. Sixty-eight consecutive PCP-user admissions were interviewed through a 77-item questionnaire. The patient population served by the facility was 48 percent Hispanic and 32 percent black. The sample of PCP users was 86 percent black. This suggests that, in this area, either more blacks use PCP, or nonblack PCP users seek psychiatric help less frequently than black users. This study emphasizes the many problems affecting the sample population and shows evidence that a large portion of the sample is at risk to develop psychiatric symptoms.