Social class, underprivileged areas and psychiatric disorder in the city of Stoke-on-Trent.

A survey of psychiatric disorder, based on hospital inpatient records, was conducted in the City of Stoke-on-Trent, England for the year 1983. This was used to test the hypothesis that areas of lower social class and greatest underprivilege would display higher rates of inpatient admissions for psychiatric disorder than the more privileged areas of the city. The results confirmed a significant positive correlation between extent of underprivilege of an area and rates of inpatient admissions. The link between lower social class and mental disorder was not directly demonstrated.