ABSTRACT
Schizophrenia is among the most debilitating of mental illnesses. It is typically diagnosed between 20 and 25 years of age, a stage of life when most people gain independence from parents, develop intimate romantic relationships, plan educational pursuits, and begin work or career endeavors (DeLisi, 1992). Because the clinical onset usually occurs during this pivotal time, the illness can have a profoundly negative impact on the individual’s opportunities for attaining social and occupational success, and the consequences can be devastating for the patient’s life course, as well as for family members. Further, the illness knows no national boundaries. Across cultures, estimates of the lifetime prevalence of schizophrenia range around 1% (1 per 100 people) (Arajarvi et al., 2005; Keith, Regier, & Rae, 1991, Kulhara, & Chakrabarti, 2001; Torrey, 1987), although the prognosis may diff er among countries (Kulhara & Chakrabarti, 2001).
