Question

The rate of schizophrenia is quite stable cross-culturally, but the outcomes vary considerably. Surprisingly, it appears that schizophrenics in Third World countries fare better than their counterparts in the West. This is surprising because Western medicine would appear to offer enormous advantages in technology, training, treatment options, and resources over what is available to schizophrenics in less-developed nations. Why do Third World countries have more positive outcomes? Is it because of cultural advantages? More stable families? Or is it related to expressed emotion (EE), insofar as people in underdeveloped countries might be less critical and rejecting of people suffering from psychosis? Are there other environmental factors that might account for the difference?

Answer 1

One of the chief reasons as to how individuals with a diagnosis of schizophrenia fare better in third world countries is because they have stronger social support systems in comparison to their Western counterparts. In such countries, it appears that patients have a network of people who can share the burden and responsibility for treatment and recovery. Furthermore, the stigma associated with the disorder is also lesser in third world countries where beliefs in witchcraft and karma mean the condition is accepted more easily as it is attributed to supernatural attributes. As a result, patients possess better chances of finding suitable occupational roles.