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Schizophrenia among Sesotho speakers in South Africa

L Mosotho¹, D Louw, F J Calitz

¹Department of Psychiatry, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa. mesothol@fshealth.gov.za

African Journal of Psychiatry

|April 22, 2011

Abstract

Objective:

The aim of this study is to investigate the clinical presentation of schizophrenia among Sesotho speakers.

Method:

A sample of 100 participants diagnosed with schizophrenia was evaluated using the Psychiatric Interview Questionnaire.

Results:

Core symptoms of schizophrenia among Sesotho speakers do not differ significantly from other cultures. However, the content of psychological symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations is strongly affected by cultural variables. Somatic symptoms such as headaches, palpitations, dizziness and excessive sweating were prevalent among the Sesotho-speaking participants suffering from schizophrenia.

Conclusion:

In South Africa, as is the case throughout the African continent, health professionals are still trained in Western models, especially DSM-IV-TR and ICD-10. Certain changes should be made to these models to account for cultural differences that were found in this research.

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