Social Psychiatry

Abstract

Psychotic disorders are caused by a complex interplay of biological, psychological, social, and environmental factors. With increasing awareness and emphasis on the social determinants of mental health disorders, the authors of this chapter examine the social and environmental risk factors associated with psychotic disorders and summarize them broadly under perinatal and postnatal risk factors. They also elucidate the impact of the psychotic disorders on important social dimensions such as employment, marriage, quality of life, and stigma. Also, social interventions in the management of psychotic disorders are described briefly. Though studies have identified a wide range of variables, the relative influence of these domains has yet to be unequivocally established. Many of these will have to be tested with rigor in many low- and middle-income countries.