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Incidence of Neurosis in a New Housing Estate

1957; BMJ; Volume: 11; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1136/jech.11.4.196

1470-2738

Fernando Martín, J. H. F. Brotherston, S. P. W. Chave,

Migration, Aging, and Tourism Studies

A housing estate built by the London County Council in Hertfordshire has provided the setting for a series of socio-medical investigations carried out by members of the Department of Public Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Reports so far published include an analysis of general practitioner consultations (Brotherston and Chave, 1956), and a brief discussion of some social and psychological effects of rehousing (Maule and Martin, 1956). This paper presents an estimate of the incidence of mental illness among the population of the estate. In view of the estate's demographic structure one would be led to expect a relatively low rate of mental illness, since those groups with the highest risk of admission to mental hospitals? old people, unmarried adults, unskilled workers? form a small part of the estate population (Brother ston and Chave, 1956). On the other hand, it seemed plausible that the strains consequent on rehousing in a new estate of suburban character, combined with the preponderance of small families unsupported by extended kinship ties, might pre dispose to an increased incidence of at any rate the minor psycho-neurotic and psycho-somatic dis orders. We were also aware of the fact that, in an appreciable proportion of rehoused families, some degree of priority for rehousing had been allowed because of illness in one or another member of the