RESUMO
Background Many studies have found high levels of compulsory admission to psychiatric hospital in the UK among AfricanCaribbean and Black African patients with a psychotic illness. Aims To establish whether AfricanCaribbean and Black African ethnicity is associated with compulsory admission in an epidemiological sample of patients with a first episode of psychosis drawn from two UK centres. Method All patients with a firstepisode of psychosis who made contact with psychiatric services over a 2-year period and were living in defined areas were included in the (ÆSOP)study. For this analysis we included all White British, other White, AfricanCaribbean and Black African patients from the ÆSOP sampling frame. Clinical, socio-demographic and pathways to care data were collected frompatients, relatives and case notes. Results AfricanCaribbean patients were significantly more likely to be compulsorily admitted than White British patients, as were Black African patients. AfricanCaribbean men were the most likely to be compulsorily admitted. Conclusions These findings suggest that factors are operating at or prior to first presentation to increase the risk of compulsory admission among AfricanCaribbean and Black African patients.