Patients of African-Caribbean origin appear to be at greater risk of compulsory admission to psychiatric hospitals in the United Kingdom but it is not clear whether this is the case for patients of Asian origin. Case notes and original sections papers were retrospectively reviewed over a one-year period in a psychiatric unit serving a large city in the UK. Caucasian and Asian patients were compared in terms of their representation in the population at risk and rates of detention under mental health legislation. Asian patients were significantly overrepresented as in-patients, were more likely to be detained at admission and more likely to be detained under longer-term powers during their stay. Asian patients may be similarly over-represented in the psychiatric in-patient population and more likely to be detained under mental health legislation than African-Caribbean patients in the UK. Future studies and service providers may need to consider patients of Asian origin as having different mental health needs.