§ Mr. PikeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the rates of(a) schizophrenia and (b) depression among (i) Afro-Carribeans and (ii) the British white population. [81415]
§ Mr. HuttonWe are aware of research that shows that African-Carribeans are diagnosed as suffering from schizophrenia 3 to 6 times more often than the white population. Although the reasons for this are not clear cut, a recent survey published by the Policy Studies Institute showed the annual prevalence of non-affective psychosis was somewhat less than twice as high as the white population. Research also shows that the incidence of depression is probably under diagnosed for those from ethnic minorities. In 1994 the first national psychiatric morbidity survey revealed that about 1 in 7 adults aged 16–64 had suffered some sort of neurotic problem in the week prior to interview. The most frequent disorder was mixed anxiety and depressive disorder (71 per 1000).?