Schizophrenia is considered the most severe psychiatric disorder. It has a poor prognosis, an unknown etiology, and an age of onset in the late teens and early 20s, when many individuals finish their education and begin their careers. Current treatments are mostly palliative, with uncertain recovery and rarely substantiated cures. Individuals and their families often face a lifetime of illness that is associated with individual and societal morbidity, shortened lifespan, and high suicide rates. Recent advances have led to improved diagnostic accuracy, a better understanding of genetic risks and psychosocial stressors, and improved treatment that has made recovery an attainable goal. This chapter indicates that race and ethnicity impact the diagnosis, course, and treatment of this illness through biopsychosocial factors that are only beginning to be appreciated.

The focus is on African Americans, for whom there is a more extensive literature than for other ethnic minorities.Read more: Schizophrenia in African Americans http://www.health.am/psy/more/schizophrenia-in-african-americans/#ixzz55nOnx6xG