Transcultural aspects of schizophrenia: a comparative study in South Africa and in Namibia. A preliminary report.

Abstract

Thirty six Coloured and Black patients with a clinical diagnosis of schizophrenia were evaluated by means of Present State Examination. The two groups were concordant by means of the 12 systems for the diagnosis of schizophrenia. This preliminary report has shown the difference in symptomatology of schizophrenia among the Coloureds of South Africa and the Blacks from Namibia. The differences are influenced by cultural and ethnical factors. The authors discuss the validity of methods employed in the study, especially language and intellectual capability as bias factors that may have influenced the final results.