Adams and Victor's Principles of Neurology, Seventh Edition

Abstract

Schizophrenia is among the most serious of all unsolved diseases. This was the opinion expressed 60 years ago in Medical Research: A Mid-Century Survey, sponsored by the American Foundation. Because of a worldwide lifetime prevalence of approximately 0.85 percent and particularly because of its onset early in life, its chronicity, and the associated social, vocational, and personal disabilities, the same conclusion is justified today (see Carpenter and Buchanan). Schizophrenia has been found in every racial and social group so far studied. On average, 35 new cases per 100,000 population appear annually (Jablensky). Studies of prevalence suggest that at any given time 0.85 percent of the world population is suffering from schizophrenia and expectancy rates are estimated to be as high as 1 chance in 100 that a person will manifest the condition during his or her lifetime. The Global Burden of Disease Study derived from multiple sources (Charlson et al) gives estimates in 2016 of 0.28 percent of the world’s population, which do not vary greatly cross populations or regions. Despite the low incidence, the resultant number of years of life with disability are enormous.