Epidemiology and natural history of schizophrenia

The present review explores the descriptive epidemiology of schizophrenia. Risk factors and correlates are divided into three groups based on whether the available evidence is consistent and strong, consistent and potentially strong, or inconsistent. The paper then considers epidemiologic studies of the course of illness, including a description of findings from the Suffol k County Mental Health Project. Given renewed attention to the need for pre ventive interventions for individuals at high risk for developing a psychot ic illness, epidemiologic values have become more and more central to the c onduct of clinical research. Biol Psychiatry 1999;46:871-881 (C) 1999 Socie ty of Biological Psychiatry.