A state-of-the-art review of current knowledge about the epidemiology of schizophrenia. Emphasis is placed on studies that shed light on the etiology of this severe disorder and the social and biological factors that influence its onset. Epidemiological data gathered in developing countries are included. Addressed to researchers and clinicians, the book aims to separate areas of consensus from areas of continuing controversy to identify gaps in knowledge and to point out the most fruitful lines for further investigation. The book has four main chapters. The first discusses a number of diagnostic issues of critical importance to the interpretation of epidemiological research. The second, and most extensive chapter, reviews knowledge about the epidemiology of schizophrenia, drawing upon the results of incidence and prevalence studies conducted in the general population and in special settings and groups. The authors make a special effort to determine whether observed inter-country differences are valid or whether these reflect different diagnostic practices. Risk factors considered include season of birth, socioeconomic class, urban residence, marital status, stress, and migration. The authors also review the results of epidemiological research on the etiology of schizophrenia, noting that links are being forged between inheritance patterns, neurophysiological and anatomical abnormalities, environmental stress, and the symptoms of schizophrenia. Temporal trends are assessed in the third chapter, which addresses the controversial questions of whether schizophrenia was rare before the eighteenth century and whether the incidence is now declining. The final chapter sets out a number of conclusions and precise recommendations for further research.
