Beliefs and Delusions of West Indian Immigrants to London

¹ Clinical Assistant, The Maudsley Hospital, London, S.E.5

There is an extensive literature attesting to the influence of culture on the form and content of mental illness. The present descriptive study was initiated to examine these considerations as they related to West Indian schizophrenics hospitalized in English mental hospitals, and to determine the extent to which their delusions related to the beliefs of a normal group of West Indian immigrants. An association between delusions and beliefs of West Indian immigrants was found to exist particularly with regard to religious and magical concepts. The schizophrenic patients differed from the normal group studied in that they could not distinguish the boundaries of reality and fantasy and could not understand the limits in which culturally meaningful symbols and behaviour were meant to operate. They used cultural beliefs in highly exaggerated and inappropriate ways which although comprehensible to other West Indians was nevertheless indicative to them of mental illness.