title: [Epidemiology of schizophrenic disorders].
abstract: Epidemiological research has demonstrated that schizophrenic disorders disorders occur in all countries and in all cultures with a relatively comparable frequency and with the same symptomatics. Furthermore, it was also demonstrated that the incidence of this disorder has not increased in the past 180 years. The clinical epidemiological findings have activated various research approaches: The protective effect of estrogen appears to explain the later occurrence of schizophrenic disorders and their more favourable course in women. Other areas of applied epidemiology (comorbidity research, ecological and social epidemiology) and their effects on suicide prevention are also discussed. Thanks to improved knowledge of prevalence and incidence, of distribution and the various social and ecological factors in schizophrenic disorders epidemiological research has been able to demonstrate that it has acquired increasing significance for basic research.
authors.affiliation: Universitätsklinik für Psychiatrie, Innsbruck. hartmann.hinterhuber@uibk.ac.at
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hinterhuber
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Liensberger
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015897:Comorbidity; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology