Incidence rates for schizophrenia in Jamaica are lower than those reported in Afro-Caribbean immigrants in the UK and Holland, and within the reported range for other population groups worldwide.

Agreement between the Jamaican psychiatrist and his UK counterparts about which patients had schizophrenia was poor. PSE CATEGO may overestimate rates of schizophrenia.

Stigma may be an important factor in mental health service seeking and utilization. However, little work on stigma has been conducted in developing nations in the Caribbean, including Jamaica. We explored mental illness stigma in Jamaica by conducting focus groups with 16 community samples. Four overarching conceptual themes are discussed: (1) community members' definitions of stigma; (2) emotional responses towards those with mental illness, such as fear and love; (3) behavioral responses towards those with mental illness, including avoidance and cautious approach; and (4) perceptions of and beliefs about mental illness, including a distinction between "madness" and "mental illness."

The phenomenology clustering into three major groups suggested an Axis I (clinical) diagnostic disorder of impulse control and authority and conflict management.

No abstract