Schizophrenia
88 Citations•2011•
M. Boyle
BMJ : British Medical Journal
Progress in psychiatric epidemiology has been slower than in other areas-for example, cardiovascular disease or cancer epidemiology, because of certain methodological problems that are just now being overcome.
Abstract
Psychiatric epidemiology is the study of the distribution and causes of mental disorder in the population. Over the past 30 years progress in psychiatric epidemiology has been slower than in other areas-for example, cardiovascular disease or cancer epidemiology, because of certain methodological problems that are just now being overcome. In particular the epidemiology of schizophrenia has suffered from two major difficulties: uncertainty about how to define a case, and the relative rarity of schizophrenia in the population.