Young men more likely to experience mental illness
than young women
Young men are more likely to experience first-episode
psychosis, defined as the first manifestation of one or more severe mental
disorders including schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder, and depression,
compared to women of the same age group, says a new study. The findings
published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry also showed that ethnic minorities and
people living in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas are also vulnerable to severe
mental illness.
For the study, the researchers estimated the incidence
of first-episode psychosis in six countries — England, France, Italy, the
Netherlands, Spain and Brazil. “The study confirmed that the incidence of
first-episode psychosis varies considerably between major cities and rural
areas. It also showed that environmental factors probably play a crucial role
in this significant variation,” said one of the researchers Paulo Rossi
Menezes, Professor at University of Sao Paulo Medical School (FM-USP) in
Brazil.
“Until the end of the twentieth century, the etiology
of psychotic disorders was believed to be mainly genetic, but the results of
this study show that environmental factors are extremely important,” Menezes
said. The study showed that the incidence of first-episode psychosis was higher
among men aged 18 to 24 than among women in the same age group.
Menezes said this finding confirms fairly consistent
data in the literature.
He noted that the incidence of first-episode psychosis
among young adult males is higher than among young adult females according to
previous research, which also shows that as men approach 35, it tends to
converge with the incidence among women.
In women aged 45-54, it is slightly higher than among
men in the same age group.
06.03.2018
The practice of forgiveness is our most
important contribution to the healing of the world
Marianne Williamson
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