Schizophrenia in India. Epidemiology, Phenomenology, Course and Outcome

Abstract

Some of the earliest descriptions of schizophrenia have been from India, a country known for its heterogeneity and diversity. Research on schizophrenia in India has largely confined itself to social aspects of the illness, which have been intriguing and stimulating to researchers. This paper primarily focuses itself on certain aspects of social research in schizophrenia, with particular emphasis on the distribution of the disease, its nature, course and outcome. It does not claim to be a comprehensive review of all Indian work in these areas, but indicates the trends which have been observed during the last decade or so.