Urbanicity

• Humans did nor evolve to live in densely populated urban areas
• the move towards urban living could account for some of the mental illness that we observe.
• the rate of schizophrenia in urban areas is much higher than in rural areas
• it has been known since 1939 that rates of schizophrenia are higher in urban areas.
• Fairs and Dunham

  • Compared rates of schizophrenia in densely populated inner city areas of Chicago with less populated outskirts of the city
  • there wad a greater incidence of the disorder in inner city areas
• The reason for higher rates of schizophrenia in urban areas is

  likely to be due to specific environmental features of urban life
• Krabbeneam and van identified contributing factors to schizophrenia in urban life

  Poverty - levels of poverty are high in certain parts of urban

  areas, which could often result in high levels of expressed emotion in a household

  Substance abuse - this is often more common in urban areas. Cannabis use has been found to double the risk of schizophrenia.

  stress - caused by living in over populated and crowded areas.
• the UN predict that 66% of the worlds population will be living in an urban area by 2050