Background: The influence of ethnicity on different aspects of psychiatric hospitalization is far from clear. The Aim of the Study: The main aim of the study was to compare the Arab and the Jewish inpatients, at the time of admission, for the demographic factors, severity of psychotic, and affective psychopathology and comorbid drug abuse rate. Population, Method, and Tools: Among 250 consecutively admitted patients in the Jerusalem Mental Health Center-Kfar Shaul Hospital, 202 Jews and 42 Arabs (aged 18-65 years) were examined within 48 hours after admission. The psychiatric diagnoses were made according to the criteria of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition. For the differential measurement of psychopathologic severity, the following rating scales were used: 21-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), and Young Mania Rating Scale. Urine tests for Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cocaine, opiates, amphetamines, and methamphetamine were performed using the Sure Step TM kits (Applied Biotech, Inc, San Diego, CA, USA). The Structured Clinical Interview Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, criteria for drug abuse were applied based on self-report and results of urine analysis. Results: The comparison of the 2 population showed that among the Arab inpatients, there were more males (81% vs 67.4%; P
CITATION STYLE
Katz, G., Grunhaus, L., Deeb, S., Shufman, E., Bar-Hamburger, R., & Durst, R. (2012). A comparative study of Arab and Jewish patients admitted for psychiatric hospitalization in Jerusalem: The demographic, psychopathologic aspects, and the drug abuse comorbidity. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 53(6), 850–853. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2011.11.005
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