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Psychosis, ethnicity and religiosity

Psychosis is a term used to describe an abnormal state of the mind. It refers to mental

states involving a loss of contact with reality and often leads to hallucinations, delusions and

lack of awareness that anything is wrong with ones own thought processes.

One of the most common forms of psychosis is schizophrenia. The condition of

schizophrenia debilitates numerous psychological processes including: magical ideation,

distortion from reality, odd thought processes, low feelings, disorganised behaviour, lack of

attention, motivation and concentration, unusual perceptual experiences, and poor

judgment. These characteristics are associated with impairments in all areas of ones life

ranging from daily routines, employment to social activities, and self-care to interpersonal

relationships.

Schizophrenia is normally treated with antipsychotic medication, intervention with

psychological therapies, and through support from family, friends and support groups.

However, it has been suggested that more knowledge is required about a patient s cultural

and social orientation to ascertain more effective help on an individual level. One such area

that has been suggested, is that of religiosity and how spiritual based beliefs regarding the

causes/cures of the mental health problems affect an individual experiencing psychosis. The

need for a study of how religious beliefs may affect (or be affected by) the experience of

psychosis is an important one. as traditional medical explanations of schizophrenia do not

take into account the spirituality and religiousness, of the patient. For example, patients

with schizophrenia may use a range of religiously endorsed coping strategies and beliefs,

without the assistance of professional medical help for fear of being misunderstood or for

fear of being branded superstitious. This example is important twofold. First, this may lead

to an under-diagnosis of a particular cultural group and second, successful coping strategies

may be lost due to under-representation to the wider public.

In the UK, one cultural group that is heavily affected by an increased risk for schizophrenia is

the African-Caribbean community. Statistically speaking at least, this group have between a

2 and 18 times higher risk of developing schizophrenia compared to white British people.

However, in the Caribbean, rates of schizophrenia amongst Caribbeans are similar to those

found in the general UK population. The reason for the increase in the UK African-

Caribbean community is, as yet, unexplained.

Studies investigating schizophrenia among different ethnic groups have focused on people

who have already developed schizophrenia. An alternative is to examine factors that are

thought to put people at risk for schizophrenia, e.g. the personality trait, schizotypy.

Schizotypy is observed in both mentally healthy people and those experiencing

psychological difficulties, characterised by less usual thought processes and psychological

experiences, e.g. paranoia, magical thinking and confusion. High levels suggest a

vulnerability to schizophrenia. Identifying people at risk is an important factor fordeveloping preventative interventions for serious mental health problems. Establishing

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whether rates of schizotypy vary across different ethnic groups could help to understand

further what might put some people at risk for schizophrenia.

Present research between the University of Westminster and the University of the West

Indies, investigates schizotypy between people from different communities and religious

groups who have migrated to the UK, born in the UK, and those resident in the Caribbean.We will investigate schizotypy and thought processing (e.g. memory, attention and

perception) associated with those at risk.

The first phase is a survey examining beliefs and personality types, where participants

complete a questionnaire with some additional questions, e.g. self-ascribed ethnicity,

religious affiliation, socio-economic status, and substance use. This takes no longer than 15

minutes to complete.

All information provided is confidential and the identity of participants will not be disclosed.

Some participants may be invited to complete a follow-up study. However, like the first partof the study, participation is voluntary and full information about it will be provided before

you decide if you would like to take part. PLEASE GO TO THE LINK BELOW

https://westminsterpsych.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_24r3FUBoYLgZIZC

https://westminsterpsych.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_24r3FUBoYLgZIZChttps://westminsterpsych.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_24r3FUBoYLgZIZChttps://westminsterpsych.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_24r3FUBoYLgZIZC