Migration and mental illness

Abstract

This article is a review of study of a several authors dealing with the relation between migration and mental illness. After dealing with problems of defining migration and methods for measuring mental health, the author studied the admission rates of immigrants to psychiatric hospitals. Authors report conflicting findings. The overall rate of first admission is sometimes higher and sometimes lower for immigrants compared with native people. The relation between culture and diagnoses has been studied. Topics are: the possibility to apply the Western nosographic system with regard to immigrants and the use of 'culture' as an 'explanation' of mental illness in immigrants. Lastly explanations within the social psychological or sociological frame of reference are proposed. Catchwords are: the shaping of the basic personality, culture shock, acculturation, several forms of stress.