Length of stay among multi-ethnic psychiatric inpatients in the United Kingdom.

Background: Disproportionate rates of psychiatric admissions and length of stay (LOS) have been repeatedly observed among Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) groups with severe mental illness (SMI), specifically those of Black Caribbean heritage. Commensurate understanding of the mechanisms underlying this observation remains poorly understood, warranting further attention.

Method: A quasi-experimental retrospective cohort design was used to examine 11,617 psychiatric inpatient admissions in London, U.