Race Differences in Schizophrenia: A Review

Richard Lynn

Published: 2024/06/01

Abstract

This review article surveys the about racial and ethnic differences in the rates of schizophrenia. The patterns are quite consistent. African-origin populations have higher rates of diagnosed schizophrenia than those of European origin in the large majority of studies, both in the United States and in Europe. Differences between Americans of European and various Asian origins are small, but South Asian immigrants in Britain have rates above those of the native British though not as high as black immigrants from the Caribbean or Africa. Although high schizophrenia rates of immigrants have been attributed to the stress of migration and acculturation, schizophrenia rates are often higher in second-generation than in first-generation immigrants. In addition to the hypothesized environmental reasons for the ethnic and racial differences, genetic reasons need to be considered. In particular, polygenic scores for schizophrenia susceptibility were found to be higher in those of African than in those of European descent, suggesting genetic causes. Keywords: Race differences, Schizophrenia, Schizoid personality, Forensic psychiatry

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