A psychosocial study of schizophrenic patients treated at a Nigerian psychiatric hospital.

A study of the sociodemographic and psychological characteristics of schizophrenics treated at a psychiatric hospital in Nigeria over a period of six months was conducted along with a limited five-year follow-up. Male patients exceeded female (2:1) and 65.7 percent were below 30 years of age. Whereas there were more married female subjects than single, there were more single male subjects than married ones. However, single persons predominated. The majority (61.3 percent) either were illiterate or had low education and 52 percent were either unemployed or un-skilled. Paranoid and catatonic schizophrenia were the most common diagnostic subgroups. The short-term prognosis was very good in that 96.1 percent were greatly improved at the time of discharge. There was, however, a high default rate of 57.4 percent over a period of five years. Of those still attending, 73.5 percent remained improved. The sociocultural basis of some of the findings is discussed.