Factors contributing the outcome of Schizophrenia in developing and developed countries: A brief review

According to WHO, schizophrenia is a severe form of mental illness affecting about 7 per thousand of the adult popu-lation, mostly in the age group 15-35 years. Though the incidence is low (3-10,000), the prevalence is high due to chronicity. Schizophrenia is occurring in both developing and developed countries. The remission rate is higher in developing countries compared to the developed ones. There are some compelling factors that may influence the out-come of schizophrenia includes gender, employment, marital status, family support, illness myths, family burden, duration of untreated psychosis etc. In this review we have discussed the epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, treatment and finally the factors that influence the outcome of schizophrenia in developing and developed countries.Key Words: Schizophrenia, outcome, developing countries, antipsychotic agents.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/icpj.v1i4.10063International Current Pharmaceutical Journal 2012, 1(4): 81-85