gender bias

• Gender Bias

  The tendency for a clinician to ignore or exaggerate

  symptoms in one gender, causing the true picture of diagnosis to become distorted
• Alpha bias

  Exaggerating the differences between men and women
• Beta bias

  Minimizing the differences between men and women
• Hambrecht et al. (1993) found that males & females are equally at risk of developing schizophrenia
• Since the 1980s, men have been diagnosed with schizophrenia more commonly than woman at a ratio of

  1.4 to 1 (Fischer & Burchanan, 2017)
• Cotton et al. (2009) says that one possible explanation for women’s underdiagnosis stems from their closer relationships
• Women's closer connections allow them to have better interpersonal functioning since they get more support. This then leads to women with schizophrenia functioning

  better than men, and evading diagnosis.
• Angermeyer and Kuhn (1988) reviewed 50 studies and found that women had:

  • fewer admissions to hospitals
  • shorter stays in hospital if admitted
  • fewer re-hospitalizations compared to men
• Castle et al. (1991) argues that the differences in symptoms amongst men and women suggest there could be two separate conditions, therefore questioning the validity of schizophrenic diagnosis
• SZ in females

  • Less severe experience
  • Late onset (mid to late 20s)
  • Atypical features experienced
  • Depressive symptoms
  • Favourable prognosis (chance of recovery)
• SZ in males

  • More severe experience
  • Earlier onset (late teens)
  • Typical features experienced
  • Negative symptoms
  • Chronic experience of the illness