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Social class and psychotherapy
Author(s) -
Cullberg J.,
Stefansson C.G
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
acta psychiatrica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.849
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1600-0447
pISSN - 0001-690X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0447.1983.tb07014.x
Subject(s) - population , social class , psychology , group psychotherapy , social group , psychiatry , mental health , social psychiatry , demography , social psychology , sociology , political science , law
– By means of a psychiatric case register the total psychiatric population in the Nacka region (75,000 inhabitants) was analysed during a 2‐year period with regard to the amount of psychotherapy consumed in different social groups. Among the patients , the utilization of pscotherapy was 60 % for social group I compared with 30 % for social group II. However, the lowest social groups are overrepresented at the mental health unit. Thus, among the total population, the utilization of psychotherapy was 1.8 % for social group I compared with 5.3 % for social group III. The study discusses the “clinical fallacy”, by which data from a patint population is applied to the whole population, giving wrong or restricted perspectives to the problem studied. It is claimed that the selecivity of the psychiatric organization concerning social groups is an imporant factor for the so‐called “social class bias” in psychotherapy.