社區中精神分裂症、雙極型疾患、憂鬱症在臺灣與其他國家的盛行率

Prevalences of Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, and Depressive Disorders in Community between Taiwan and Other Countries

本文以臺灣精神疾病研究（Taiwan Psychiatric Epidemiological Project， 簡稱為 TPEP）成果為基礎，試著與其他十一個不同種族、文化背景國家、地區的研究做比較及再 分析。所有的研究都採用Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Third Edition (DSM-III) 診斷準 則、Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS) 問卷、相似的採樣方法。臺灣、香港與中國上海一 區的精神分裂症、雙極型疾患、憂鬱症﹙ 重鬱症、輕鬱症﹚ 的終生盛行率都明顯低於南韓 及所有非東方文化背景的國家。儘管我們需要更多基因和生物學的研究來解釋臺灣精神分裂 症、雙極型疾患的低盛行率，但仍可觀察到臺灣的文化和家庭系統對這兩種重大疾病盛行的 保護作用

This overview was intended to re-analyze and compare the fi ndings from the Taiwan Psychiatric Epidemiological Project (TPEP) with those from the other studies conducted in 11 sites with different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. In 1980s, all these studies used criteria from American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder, Third Edition (DSM-III), Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS) in their case identifi cation tool and the identical sampling methods. Taiwan, Hong Kong and a part of Shanghai, China, had signifi - cantly lower lifetime prevalence rates (LPRs) for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depressive disorders than South Korea and all countries with non-Eastern cultural backgrounds. Although more genetic and biological studies are needed to explain the lower prevalences of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, we speculate that the cultural and family systems in Taiwan provide protecting effects on those two disorders.