ABSTRACT
The discussion in this chapter focused on social class. It is clear that greater amounts of mental disorder are found in the lower class in general, with schizophrenia and personality disorders being exceedingly more prevalent among the lower rungs of society than in the upper social strata. The common explanations for this are (1) genetic, (2) social causation, and (3) social selection (the “drift” and “residue” hypotheses). Depressive and anxiety disorders tend to be more common among the middle and upper classes, although depressive disorders in particular also reach down to strongly afflict many in the lower class with its adverse living conditions, stresses, and restricted life opportunities.
