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12.2: Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders - Epidemiology

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    161457

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    Learning Objectives
    • Describe the epidemiology of schizophrenia spectrum disorders.

    Schizophrenia occurs in approximately 0.3%-0.7% of the general population (APA, 2022). There is some discrepancy in rates of diagnosis between genders; these differences appear to be related to the emphasis of various symptoms. For example, men typically present with more negative symptoms, whereas women present with more affect-laden symptoms. Despite gender differences in the presentation of symptoms, there appears to be an equal risk for both genders to develop the disorder.

    Schizophrenia typically occurs between late teens and mid-30s, with the onset of the disorder slightly earlier for males than females (APA, 2022). Earlier onset of the disorder is generally predictive of a worse overall prognosis. Onset of symptoms is typically gradual, with initial symptoms presenting similarly to depressive disorders; however, some individuals will present with an abrupt presentation of the disorder. Negative symptoms appear to be more predictive of prognosis than other symptoms. This may be due to negative symptoms being the most persistent, and therefore, most difficult to treat. Overall, an estimated 13.5% of individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia meet recovery criteria, according to one meta-analysis of 50 studies of individuals with broadly defined schizophrenia (APA, 2022).

    Schizoaffective disorder, schizophreniform disorder, and delusional disorder prevalence rates are all significantly less than that of schizophrenia, occurring in 0.2% to 0.3% of the general population. While schizoaffective disorder is diagnosed more in females than males (similar to schizophrenia but using the less stringent DSM-IV criteria), schizophreniform and delusional disorder appear to be diagnosed equally between genders (APA, 2022).

    Key Takeaways

    You should have learned the following in this section:

    • Less than 1% of the general population is diagnosed with schizophrenia and 13.5% of these people fully recovery from the disorder.
    • Both genders have an equal risk of developing schizophrenia while men typically display more negative symptoms while women present with more affect-laden symptoms.
    • Schizoaffective disorder, schizophreniform disorder, and delusional disorder have prevalence rates between 0.2 to 0.3%.
    Review Questions
    1. Discuss the different prevalence rates across the schizophrenia related disorders. Are there differences among the disorders? Between genders?
    2. Are there differences in prevalence rates depending on symptom presentations? If so, what?

    This page titled 12.2: Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders - Epidemiology is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Alexis Bridley and Lee W. Daffin Jr. via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.