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Early studies of the differential incidence of mental disorders among Negroes and whites used limited samples and frequently were vitiated by racist interpretations. Since federal statistics on patients in mental institutions do not, at present, specify race, a full-scale comparison is not possible today. Malzberg's study (1929-1932) remains the most accurate comparison. The standardized annual rate of Negro admissions was in the ratio of 2.3 to 1; for schizophrenia, 2.0 to 1; manic-depressive psychosis, 1.5 to 1. Wartime research has shown results similar to Malzberg's but these studies have been unsystematic.
With few exceptions, comparisons of Negro with white psychiatric populations are based on variables such as age, sex, marital status, rural-urban residence, and occupation. Such comparisons cannot be accepted at face value. The special impact of color discrimination on the individual Negro, the differences in cultural meanings for each racial group, the dual worlds in which the Negro lives make the two racial groups not comparable in the usual way.
Inadequate appreciation of the unique sociological factors that shape the personality of the Negro may lead to difficulties in assessing etiological factors, accurate diagnoses, and therapy.