Spiritual...

I'm not Chris and I'm too tired to research but I can offer a suggestion for the differences in outcomes of individuals with psychotic disorders across the globe.

There are cultural differences between nations that typically allow for more acceptance of behaviors we consider eccentric. In multiple nations, people with hallucinations are cherished for their "visions."

Illness is a very western-ideal... we pathologize everything.

The best example I can give, while sleepy, involves the Tsunami. I remember receiving training on how to best help those victims if I chose to volunteer. They are very accepting of behaviors we would consider psychotic in the United States.

So, I don't necessarily believe that outcomes for schizophrenia are any different in any nation... I think acceptance and interpretation are vastly, vastly different.

just my opinion...

For the record, I don't really concur with Chris's earlier is better... I'm not suggesting he was referring to this particular movement... but there is a strong movement to identify and treat schizophrenia in children. I understand their point... catch it before the psychotic break, do less damage... but honestly, I worry about the effects of the medication on the developing brain... as well as the overdiagnosis of the disorder based upon the fact that children are naturally "psychotic"... ha

Very interesting questions... thanks for makign me think