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Has there been any research about the prevalence of schizophrenia in communities with strong social bonds (multigenerational families under one roof, closeness

Has there been any research about the prevalence of schizophrenia in communities with strong social bonds (multigenerational families under one roof, closeness with neighbors, etc) versus modern urban communities (nuclear families or singlehood, relative disconnectedness with the physical world, lots more disembodied communication (Internet, phone, SMS) as opposed to traditional face-to-face communication)? Edit: Turns out there is - http://bjp.rcpsych.org/content/184/4/287.long http://bjp.rcpsych.org/content/184/4/287.long I was asking because I definitely notice that if I am in a situation where I am living alone, I am just flat out less happy than when my wife is home. And I'm one of those people who is actually even happier when both my wife and mother-in-law are home, basically, the more people living under my roof, the happier I am. I was wondering whether it was the same for others.

jnbiche 12y ago
Actually, schizophrenia appears to be one of the few mental illnesses -- maybe the only one -- to affect all cultures almost equally. Schizophrenics can be found in small African villages, Chinese industrial centers, Tibetan mountain villages, and of course in the West. There's some variation in the respective prevalence of certain symptoms across cultures (catatonia is more common in non-western cultures, for example), but the cluster of symptoms defined as schizophrenia in the DSM has been found in almost every culture known to man (I believe symptoms of schizoprenia have even been found among some people from the Yamomamo indigenous tribe of the Amazon). My knowledge of this comes from graduate and undergrad psychology, neuroscience and global public health courses -- I'm definitely not a psychologist or psychiatrist. But I am somewhat skeptical of the study you posted. I suppose it's possible that prevalence of schizophrenia might be somewhat higher in urban environments, but there's pretty overwhelming evidence that schizophrenia occurs across cultures in similar proportions. There have been many, many published studies on this phenomenon. Here's one: https://blogs.commons.georgetown.edu/journal-of-health-sciences/issues-2/vol-6-no-2-july-2012/cross-cultural-variance-of-schizophrenia-in-symptoms-diagnosis-and-treatment/ https://blogs.commons.georgetown.edu/journal-of-health-scien...
- onnoonno 12y ago
  I am curious: Is there a difference in the problems that show up with regards to the country that people look at?

jnbiche 12y ago

Actually, schizophrenia appears to be one of the few mental illnesses -- maybe the only one -- to affect all cultures almost equally. Schizophrenics can be found in small African villages, Chinese industrial centers, Tibetan mountain villages, and of course in the West. There's some variation in the respective prevalence of certain symptoms across cultures (catatonia is more common in non-western cultures, for example), but the cluster of symptoms defined as schizophrenia in the DSM has been found in almost every culture known to man (I believe symptoms of schizoprenia have even been found among some people from the Yamomamo indigenous tribe of the Amazon). My knowledge of this comes from graduate and undergrad psychology, neuroscience and global public health courses -- I'm definitely not a psychologist or psychiatrist. But I am somewhat skeptical of the study you posted. I suppose it's possible that prevalence of schizophrenia might be somewhat higher in urban environments, but there's pretty overwhelming evidence that schizophrenia occurs across cultures in similar proportions. There have been many, many published studies on this phenomenon. Here's one: https://blogs.commons.georgetown.edu/journal-of-health-sciences/issues-2/vol-6-no-2-july-2012/cross-cultural-variance-of-schizophrenia-in-symptoms-diagnosis-and-treatment/ https://blogs.commons.georgetown.edu/journal-of-health-scien...

onnoonno 12y ago
I am curious: Is there a difference in the problems that show up with regards to the country that people look at?