Review: black people are more likely than white people to be detained in psychiatric wards in the United Kingdom.

Data sources The authors searched ASSlA, CINAHL, the Cochrane Trials Register, Embase, HealthSTAR, Medline, PsycLit, the Science Citation Index, SIGLE and personal files for studies published in English between January 1983 and October 2000. The authors sought grey literature and other unpublished literature from UK Health Authorities. Experts in the field were asked to identify omissions from a list of identified articles. Study selection Prospective, retrospective or cross sectional studies with quantitative data were eligible if they compared access to or use of primary or secondary mental health services by more than one ethnic group in the United Kingdom. Adults with psychotic and non-psychotic mental disorders were eligible. Specialist services for children, adolescents, and older people were excluded, as were forensic services and services for psychosexual disorders or substance abuse.