Brian O'Donoghue1,2,3, Linglee Downey1,2, Scott Eaton1,2, Aswin Ratheesh1,2,3, Patrick McGorry1,2; 1Orygen, the National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Melbourne, Australia, 2Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Australia, 3Orygen Youth Health, Melbourne, Australia
Background: Certain migrant groups have an increased risk of psychosis compared to the native population, however the majority of these studies have originated from Europe and the Americas and it is not yet known whether migrants to Australia have an increased risk of developing a psychotic disorder. Objectives: This study aims to determine the incidence rate of treated first-episode of psychosis (FEP) in a defined catchment area of north-west Melbourne in young people aged 15 to 24 years; whether first-generation migrants have an increased risk of developing a psychotic disorder; and to establish whether migrants from certain countries have an increased risk of psychosis. Methods: A retrospective epidemiological cohort study was conducted at the Early Psychosis Prevention and Intervention Centre (EPPIC) in Melbourne and included all young people aged 15 to 24 with a first episode of psychosis between 01.01.2011 and 31.12.2013. The at-risk population was determined from census data and incidence rates and incidence rate ratios were calculated. Findings: A total of 527 individuals with FEP were included, 393 were Australian-born (74.6%) and 134 (25.4%) were first-generation migrants. Migrants from Kenya (IRR=9.81), Ethiopia (IRR=5.17), Somalia (IRR=3.78), and Sudan (IRR=3.57), had significantly increased risk of having a psychotic disorder. Conversely, migrants from India and China had significantly decreased risk of having psychosis. Conclusions: First-generation migrants from East Africa and the Horn of Africa have significantly high rates of psychosis. Migrants from these countries may have faced substantial stressors pre-, during, and post-migration, predisposing them to psychosis.
