Hostname: page-component-f554764f5-fr72s Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-04-10T00:53:51.318Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Inequalities in mental health

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 January 2018

Claire Henderson ,
Graham Thornicroft  and
Gyles Glover
Claire Henderson*
Affiliation:
Section of Community Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, London
Graham Thornicroft
Affiliation:
Section of Community Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, London
Gyles Glover
Affiliation:
Section of Community Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, London
*
Claire Henderson, Section of Community Psychiatry, (PRiSM), Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AF. Tel: 0171 919 2610; Fax: 0171 277 1462
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

The Government emphasis on tackling health inequalities and the availability of recent data on mental health inequalities from the Office of Population Censuses and Survey's (OPCS) National Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (NPMS) (Meitzer et al, 1995) suggest that it is time to review the evidence on inequalities in mental health. We aim to summarise the relevant research on rates of psychiatric morbidity within the general population, and define specific populations at high risk of mental disorder. The theories put forward to account for these inequalities are considered, noting the limitations of the data they are based on and highlighting their implications for the data required to facilitate further research. Inequalities in access, provision and appropriateness of services are also discussed. We make policy recommendations for reducing these inequalities at national, regional and district levels.

Type
Review Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 173 , Issue 2 , August 1998 , pp. 105 - 109
Copyright
Copyright © 1998 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Bartley, M. (1994) Unemployment and ill-health: understanding the relationship. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. 48, 333–337.Google Scholar
Bhugra, D., Left, J. & Mallett, G. (1997) Incidence and outcome of schizophrenia in Whites, African Caribbeans and Asians in London. Psychological Mediane, 27, 791–798.Google Scholar
Caritalrs, V. (1981) Multiple deprivation and health state. Community Medicine, 3, 4–13.Google Scholar
Child Poverty Action Group (1997) Not to be Ignored: Young People, Poverty and Health. London: Child Poverty Action Group.Google Scholar
Davles, S., Thornicroft, G., Leesee, M., et al (1996) Ethnic differences in risk of compulsory admission among representative cases of psychosis in London. British Medical Journal, 312, 533–537.Google Scholar
Dear, M. & Walch, J. (1987) Landscapes of Despair. Oxford: Polity.Google Scholar
Department of Health and Social Security (1980) Inequalities in Health. London: DHSS.Google Scholar
Dohrenwend, B. (1975) Socio-cultural and social-psychological factors in the genesis of mental disorders. Journal of Health and Social Behaviour. 16, 365–392.Google Scholar
Eaton, W. W. (1985) Epidemiology of schizophrenia. Epidemiologic Reviews, 7, 105–126.Google Scholar
Farit, R. & Dunham, H. (1939) Mental Disorders in Urban Areas. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Giggs, J. A. & Cooper, J. E. (1987) Ecological structure and the distribution of schizophrenia and affective psychoses in Nottingham. British Journal of Psychiatry. 151, 627–633.Google Scholar
Glover, G. R., Knight, S., Melzer, D., et al (1997) The development of a new minimum data set for specialist mental health care. Health Trends, 29, 48–51.Google Scholar
Glover, G. R., Robin, E., Emani, J., et al (1998) A needs index for mental health care. Social. Psychiatry and Psychiatrie Epidemiology, 33, 89–96.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goldberg, E. M. & Morrison, S. L. (1963) Schizophrenia and social class. British Journal of Psychiatry. 109, 785–802.Google Scholar
Hare, E. (1956) Mental illness and social conditions in Bristol. Journal of Mental Science, 102, 349–357.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Harrison, G. (1988) A prospective study of severe mental disorder in Afro-Caribbean patients. Psychological Medicine. 18, 643–657.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jarman, B. (1983) Identification of underprivileged areas. British Medical Journal. 286, 1705–1709.Google Scholar
Johnton, S., Brooks, L., Thornicroft, G., et al (1997) London's Mental Health. London: Kings Fund.Google Scholar
Kammerling, R. M. & O'Connor, S. (1993) Unemployment rate as predictor of rate of psychiatric admission. British Medical Journal, 307, 1536–1539.Google Scholar
Lewis, C., David, A., Andraasson, S., et al (1992) Schizophrenia and city life. Lancet, 340, 137–140.Google Scholar
Link, B. & Dohrenwend, B. (1980) Formulation of hypotheses about the ratio of untreated to treated cases in the true prevalence studies of functional psychiatric disorders in adults in the United States. In Mental Illness in the United States (eds Dohrenwend, B. & Dohrenwend, B.). New York: Praeger.Google Scholar
Maltzer, H., Gill, B., Petticrew, M., et al (1995) The Prevalence of Psychiatric Morbidity among Adults Living in Private Households. London: HMSO.Google Scholar
Parkman, S., Davies, S., Leese, M., et al (1997) Ethnic differences in satisfaction with mental health services among representative people with psychosis in South London: PRiSM study 4. British Journal of Psychiatry, 171, 260–264.Google Scholar
Rutter, M. (1989) Isle of Wight revisited: twenty-five years of child psychiatric epidemiology. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 28, 633–653.Google Scholar
Shapiro, S., Skinner, E., Kassier, L., et al (1984) Utilization of health and mental health services. Three Epidemiologic Catchment Area sites. Archives of General Psychiatry, 41, 971–978.Google Scholar
Smith, P., Shaldon, T. A. & Martin, S. (1996) An index of need for psychiatric services based on in-patient utilisation. British Journal of Psychiatry, 169, 308–316.Google Scholar
Thake, T. (1997) Information to Assist with Population Based Needs Assessment in Secure Psychiatric Services. London: High Security Psychiatric Services Commissioning Board.Google Scholar
Warner, R. (1994) Recovery from Schizophrenia: Psychiatry and Political Economy (2nd edn). London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Warner, R. (1995) Time trends in schizophrenia: change in obstetric risk factors with industrialisation. Schizophrenia Bulletin. 21, 483–500.Google Scholar
Wilkinson, R. G. (1989) Class mortality differentials, income distribution and trends in poverty. 1921–1981. Journal of Social Policy, 18, 307–335.Google Scholar
World Health Organization (1979) Schizophrenia An International Follow-Up Study. Chichester: Wiley.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.