Schizophrenia in women and children: a selective review of literature from developing countries

Women and children with psychotic disorders in developing countries may be vulnerable and have considerable social disadvantages. Gender disadvantage has implications for all health outcomes including mental illnesses. In the more relevant gender-related context we discuss several important issues which affect women with schizophrenia, namely stigma, caregiver burden, functional outcome, marriage, victimization and help-seeking. The findings indicate that there are variations in clinical and functional outcomes and age of onset of illness between different regions. Drug side effects, such as metabolic syndrome appear to be quite common, adding to disease burden in women from developing countries. Victimization and coercion may contribute to poor quality of life and health concerns such as STIs and HIV. Stigma among women with schizophrenia appears to play a major role in help-seeking, caregiver burden and issues such as marriage and parenting. Gender-sensitive care and practices are few and not well documented. Research in the area of psychoses in children and adolescents from LAMI countries is sparse and is mainly restricted to a few clinic-based studies. More research is needed on organic and medical factors contributing to childhood psychoses, pathways to care, help-seeking, and impact of early detection and community care.