1 © NAPICU 2019
Journal of Psychiatric
Intensive Care
Journal of Psychiatric Intensive Care
doi:10.20299/jpi.2019.007
Received 8 August 2018 | Accepted 8 February 2019
© NAPICU 2019
BRIEF REPORT
Risk of psychosis in Yorkshire South
Asians
Majid Saleem
1
, Anita Brewin
1
, Catherine Ding
1
, Qadeer Nazar
1
, Julie
Robinson
2
, Prakash Hosalli
2
, Jamshid Nazari
3
, Mark Garnham
3
, Chris F
Inglehearn
4
, Alastair G Cardno
4
, Tariq Mahmood
2
1
Bradford District Care Trust, UK;
2
Leeds & York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust,
UK;
3
South West Yorkshire NHS Foundation Trust, UK;
4
University of Leeds, UK
CFI, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5143-2562; AGC, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-
6136-5965; TM, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6182-9996
Correspondence to: Dr Tariq Mahmood, Consultant Psychiatrist, Becklin Centre, Alma
Street, Leeds LS9 7BE, UK; tariq.mahmood5@nhs.net
Background: Migration is a risk factor for psychoses but risks within the large
South Asian communities of West Yorkshire are not known.
Aim: To estimate the risk of psychosis in the Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Indian
populations in West Yorkshire as compared with British White population.
Method: We used data from Early Intervention for Psychosis services on 15–35
year-olds diagnosed with first episode psychosis in 2013–2015 and local census
data to calculate risks.
Results: Compared with the British White population, the Pakistani population
had a significantly higher risk of first episode psychosis (RR 1.31, 95% CI 1.09,
1.58). The smaller Bangladeshi population showed a similar, but non-significant,
trend (RR 1.50, 95% CI 0.89, 2.53). In contrast, the Indian population had a
significantly lower risk (RR 0.51, 95% CI 0.33, 0.79).
Conclusion: Variable risk of psychosis among south Asian ethnic groups in West
Yorkshire needs further research.
Key words: psychosis; schizophrenia risk; Yorkshire; Pakistani; Bangladeshi;
Indian
Declaration of interest: None
Financial support: Medical Research Council UK project grant MR/J004391/11
awarded to AGC, CFI and TM.
Introduction
Migration is a well-established risk factor for schizo-
phrenia and other psychoses (Kirkbride et al. 2011). In
the UK, the African–Caribbean population is at increased
risk of psychosis, but reports are less consistent for South
Asians (Selton et al. 2007; Bhugra et al. 1997; Kirkbride
et al. 2006; Coid et al. 2008). Yorkshire, in the north of
England, is home to a number of immigrant communities
from South Asia, particularly in the Bradford, Leeds and