The objective of the study was to examine differences between asylum seekers, living in asylum seekers' centres, and refugees, who officially have been granted asylum, when they were acutely admitted to a psychiatric hospital. All 53 asylum seekers and 45 refugees, acutely admitted to a Norwegian psychiatric hospital from 1995 to 2001 were included. The number of admissions by coercion, diagnosis, length of hospital stay and years residing in Norway at the time of the admissions were compared between the two groups. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was more frequent among asylum seekers (43.4%) than among refugees (11%), while schizophrenia was more frequent among refugees (62.2%) than among asylum seekers (15%). The refugees (24.4%) were more often admitted by coercion than asylum seekers (11%). The high proportion of PTSD among asylum seekers compared to refugees may be explained by experiences in Norway after arrival into the country. The stresses of life in reception centres and the risk of being expelled from the country may contribute more to these admittances than experiences in the asylum seekers countries of origin.