Psychosis and Place

Abstract

One important line of epidemiologic inquiry implicating social context in the etiology of psychosis is the examination of spatial variation in the distribution of psychotic illness. The authors conducted a systematic review of evidence from urbanicity and neighborhood studies regarding spatial variation in the incidence of psychosis in developed countries since 1950. A total of 44 studies (20 of urbanicity and 24 of neighborhood) were culled from three databases with similar time frames: Medline (1950-2007), PsychInfo (1950-2007), and Sociological Abstracts (1952-2007). With a special emphasis on social factors potentially relevant to etiology, the authors elucidated contributions, limitations, and issues related to study design, measurement, and theory. Evidence from both arenas supports a possible etiologic role for social context. Studies of urbanicity indicate that early-life exposure may be important; dose-response relations, spatial patterning of schizophrenia, and interactions with other factors may exist. Neighborhood studies indicate heterogeneity in rates, hint at spatial patterning of schizophrenia, and offer intriguing evidence implying more proximal social (as opposed to physical) exposures. The authors encourage the exploration of social pathways engaging theory, methodological advances, and the life-course perspective. They also propose a conceptual shift from studies of spatial variation in outcomes to research addressing the etiologic effect of exposures shaped by place as a reservoir of risk or resilience.

Environmental Factor Contributed to The Onset of Schizophrenia

“…This mental disorder was associated with local population density in urban area. 18 One of them was a cohort study on 690,000 Swedish citizens. The study emphasized that born in urban was related with schizophrenia risk for late onset (hazard ratio 1.24).…”

Psychotic Experiences in the Adaptation Process to a New Social Environment

“…Grup içi ilişkilerin bir göstergesi olan sosyal sermaye, sosyal stres ve dopamin arasında bir tampon işlevi görüyor olabilir (Allardyce ve Boydell 2006, March ve ark. 2008.…”

“…2008. Düşük sosyal sermayeli bölgelerde yetişen bireylerin edineceği gü-vensizlik atıfları, genetik yatkınlığın psikotik bir atağa dö-nüşmesini kolaylaştırabilir ya da tam tersine, yüksek sosyal sermayeye sahip olan ortamlarda yetişen bireyler genetik yatkınlık taşısalar bile psikotik belirtilerin çekirdek özelliklerini taşıyan yanlış atıflar, o bölgenin özellikleri nedeniyle psikotik düzeye ulaşmayabilir (Allardyce ve Boydell 2006, March ve ark. 2008.…”

Getting the Measure of the Restless City

“…1 Of course there is nothing original (to me) in such questions: as my collaborators and I have elaborated elsewhere, questions like these have concerned scholars of all stripes (as well as other writers and investigators) for more than 100 years. 2 They continue to capture scholarly and popular attention today: as I was writing this chapter, Scientific American published an in-depth analysis of two new studies on the association between city living and schizophrenia, 3 Vice carried a story on how placing trees and parks in urban neighbourhoods can have a marked effect on mental health, 4 and The Guardian suggested that Cardiff (my own city) was notable for having an especially high rate of panic attack.…”