Women and schizophrenia.

Abstract

Several important questions emerge from the study of gender differences in schizophrenia: Why does schizophrenia begin later in women? Why is outcome superior in women, at least in the first 15 years after onset? What causes sex differences in symptoms? What can gender differences teach us about the etiology of schizophrenia? Do men and women require substantially different treatments? What interventions during pregnancy and after childbirth ensure optimal health for the children of mothers with schizophrenia? Although complete answers may not yet be forthcoming, it is important to define the questions and keep them in mind when delivering services to women suffering from this severe, persistent mental illness.