Explanatory models of illness in schizophrenia: A narrative review

Abstract

This article provides a comprehensive review of the explanatory models of illness present in schizophrenic patients with diverse cultural backgrounds. Explanatory models are culturally determined beliefs regarding concepts such as health and illness and are key to understanding how patients integrate their illness experience within their cognitive framework, giving perceived meaning to their illness episodes and influencing their treatment choices. The results reveal significant cultural differences in the interpretation of schizophrenia, with Eastern cultures attributing more importance to spiritual and esoteric factors compared to Western ones. These cultural distinctions affect treatment approaches and patient - practitioner relationships, with a notable trend towards explanatory pluralism in many societies. This review stresses the need for medical practitioners to adapt their approach to accommodate cultural differences and patient-specific factors, emphasizing the importance of compatibility between patient and healthcare practitioner models, and highlighting the potential discordance in perspectives that can impact treatment effectiveness.