West suffers more from mental illness.

West suffers more from mental illness

People in the West suffer more from mental illness than those in poorer countries, with chances of recovery being higher in places like India than in say New York or London, says an Australian study.

In the most comprehensive survey of the prevalence of schizophrenia worldwide, scientist John McGrath and colleagues from the Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research reviewed data from 188 studies published between 1965 and 2002, reported the www.theadvertiser.news.com.au.

Although previous research by McGrath's team found the number of new cases emerging each year were similar in both Western and developing nations, the latest survey said the prevalence was "significantly lower" in poorer countries.

Although the reasons were still largely a mystery, McGrath said people with the disorder in the developing world had a better prognosis.

"If you get schizophrenia in a place like India, for example, you tend to have a type of illness that recovers," McGrath said.

"If you get schizophrenia in a place like New York or London, you tend to have an illness that's less likely to respond to treatment.

"It's extremely paradoxical. You'd think in the developed world like Australia, the UK, Canada and America we'd have better treatments so you'd be more likely to recover but that's not the case."

McGrath said some scientists had speculated that the social connectedness in village life among people living in poorer countries might cushion those with schizophrenia from some of the disability, helping them to recover.

Their findings are expected to rewrite international textbooks on the devastating mental illness characterised by symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, disorganised communication, poor planning and reduced motivation, it reported.


Indo-Asian News Service

http://health.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1192300.cms