Abstract
The finding of better outcome of schizophrenia in developing countries offers challenges to the understanding of schizophrenia and opportunities for the devel opment of care programmes in the developed world. This study aims to compare socio-demographic and clinical variables of people with schizophrenia in two cultures.
Seventy-eight patients from Liverpool and 60 patients from Bangalore diagnosed as having schizophrenia were evaluated using a questionnaire designed to obtain socio-demographic and clinical characteristics. Patients from Liverpool compared to Bangalore, comprised of more men, of younger age group, fewer patients ever-married, more patients living alone and more patients unemployed. In-patient treatment was common in Liverpool and rare in Bangalore.
Bangalore patients were more socially integrated than the Liverpool patients, who appeared socially marginalised. These findings have implications on developing future strategies of care in the community for patients with schizo phrenic illness in terms of emphasising the life history of ill persons and developing interventions to minimise marginalisation and stigma.
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