Increased risk of psychotic disorder among immigrants in Malmö: a 3-year first-contact study

Abstract

Background. Previous findings of increased rates of psychotic disorders among immigrants to Sweden are primarily based on hospital samples. The aim of the current study was to compare the risks of first contact for psychotic and schizophrenic disorders among first-and second-generation immigrants to the risks in native 'Swedes '.

The Prevention of Schizophrenia--What Can We Learn From Eco-Epidemiology?

“…What is more surprising to researchers unfamiliar with the epidemiology of schizophrenia are the important discoveries that variation exists along a number of other fascinating domains, including migration and minority status, 8 place of birth and upbringing, 28 life events and social disadvantage, 29 preand perinatal stressors 30 (ie famine or viruses), and, potentially, hypovitaminosis D. 31 One of the most highly replicable epidemiological findings in psychiatric epidemiology is the consistent evidence that rates of psychotic disorders (not limited to schizophrenia) are raised in immigrants and their offspring born and brought up in the host country. 8 These findings were first observed in migrant groups to the United States 32-34 but have since been replicated in several European settings, including the United Kingdom, 35,36 the Netherlands, 37,38 Sweden, 39,40 Denmark, 41 and Israel. 42 The exact magnitude of this increased risk varies according to the group under study, with rate ratios ranging from around 1.5 to 10.…”

Low serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD) among psychiatric out-patients in Sweden: Relations with season, age, ethnic origin and psychiatric diagnosis

“…Our findings also call for focussed observance of vitamin D status in immigrant patients. In Sweden, as in other sun deprived countries, increased rates of psychoses and autism among dark skinned immigrants have been reported [33][34][35]24]. While controlled studies of the effect of vitamin D replenishment on the psychiatric symptoms are still wanting, the somatic risks of continued deficiency should alert clinicians to meet the specific needs of this population.…”

Full Spectrum of Psychiatric Disorders Related to Foreign Migration

“…1,6,7 To date, none of the potential explanations have been confirmed or ruled out. Aspects of social stress have been increasingly highlighted in recent years because of the especially high rates of schizophrenia found in immigrants having dark skin 1,2,8 or marked differences in culture and appearance compared with the host culture. 9,10 The increased risk for psychotic disorders found in secondgeneration immigrants suggests that postmigration aspects of the social context (eg, socioeconomic deprivation or long-term experiences of social defeat) may be more important risk mediators than the migration process itself.…”