Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2015 Jul;57(Suppl 2):S246-51.
doi: 10.4103/0019-5545.161487.

Women and schizophrenia

R Thara  1 , Shantha Kamath  1
Affiliations
Review

Women and schizophrenia

R Thara et al. Indian J Psychiatry. 2015 Jul.

Abstract

Women's mental health is closely linked to their status in society. This paper outlines the clinical features of women with schizophrenia and highlights the interpersonal and social ramifications on their lives. There is no significant gender difference in the incidence and prevalence of schizophrenia. There is no clear trend in mortality, although suicides seem to be more in women with schizophrenia. In India, women face a lot of problems, especially in relation to marriage, pregnancy, childbirth, and menopause. Most studies have shown better premorbid functioning, and social adjustment for women compared with men. There is a great need to plan for gender-sensitive mental health services targeting the special needs of these women. Women caregivers also deserve due attention.

Keywords: Childbirth rehabilitation; marriage; pregnancy; schizophrenia; severe mental illness; women.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: None declared

References

    1. Geneva: World Health Organization; 1998. World Health Organization. World Health Report.
    1. Bleuler E. Dementia Praecox or the Group of Schizophrenias. In: Zinken J, editor. New York: International Universities Press; 1950.
    1. Sartorius N, Jablensky A, Korten A, Ernberg G, Anker M, Cooper JE, et al. Early manifestations and first-contact incidence of schizophrenia in different cultures. A preliminary report on the initial evaluation phase of the WHO Collaborative Study on determinants of outcome of severe mental disorders. Psychol Med. 1986;16:909–28. - PubMed
    1. McGrath J, Saha S, Welham J, El Saadi O, MacCauley C, Chant D. A systematic review of the incidence of schizophrenia: The distribution of rates and the influence of sex, urban city, migrant status and methodology. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2007;64:1123–31.
    1. Rajkumar S, Padmavathi R, Thara R, Menon MS. Incidence of schizophrenia in an urban community in madras. Indian J Psychiatry. 1993;35:18–21. - PMC - PubMed