Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 14, 2026

Implementation of a Real-Time Psychosis Risk Detection and Alerting System Based on Electronic Health Records using CogStack
Published on: May 15, 2020
A survey of general practitioners' knowledge of symptoms and epidemiology of schizophrenia
Hélène Verdoux1, Audrey Cougnard, Sabrina Grolleau
1Université Victor Segalen Bordeaux 2, Hôpital Charles-Perrens, 121 rue de la Béchade, 33076 Bordeaux cedex, France. helene.verdoux@u-bordeaux2.fr
Objective:
To explore general practitioners' (GPs) knowledge of the symptoms and epidemiology of schizophrenia, and the GPs' characteristics associated with level of knowledge.
Method:
Survey questionnaires exploring practice in patients with early psychosis were mailed to all GPs in South-Western France (N=3829). GPs were asked to fill out questions anonymously on the symptoms and epidemiology of schizophrenia.
Results:
The response rate was 23.6%. GPs had a fair theoretical knowledge of schizophrenia symptoms, but underestimated the prevalence and the risk of suicide. Recent attendance at a continuing medical education (CME) course on schizophrenia was the main predictor of level of knowledge on epidemiological figures, although its impact was relatively modest. Regarding risk factors, the implication of genetic factors was considered as null or modest by more than half of the GPs, while a large proportion of them stated that mother-baby interactional disturbances were frequently implicated in the aetiology of the disorder.
Conclusion:
GPs' level of knowledge on the public health impact and risk factors for schizophrenia needs to be improved in order to promote the delivery of accurate and de-stigmatising information to primary care patients.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Schizophrenia
Psychological and Sociocultural Causes of Schizophrenia
Psychosis: Pathophysiology of Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
Researchers have identified genetic factors that increase susceptibility to schizophrenia, underscoring the intricate interplay between genetics and environment in disease development. At the core of schizophrenia's pathophysiology is excessive dopaminergic neurotransmission within the...
Biological Causes of Schizophrenia
Genetic Factors in Schizophrenia
The genetic basis of schizophrenia is strongly supported by family and twin studies.
Positive Symptoms Schizophrenia: Hallucinations and Delusions
Hallucinations
Hallucinations in...
Negative and Cognitive Symptoms of Schizophrenia
Negative Symptoms
Negative symptoms of schizophrenia manifest as deficits in normal emotional and behavioral functioning, profoundly impacting daily life. Individuals with schizophrenia often display a flat affect, characterized by a near-total absence of emotional expression,...
