Schizophrenia Research in Saudi Arabia: Appraisal and Perspectives

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is the largest Arab state lying in west Asia. It has an organized health care system with a wide network of health clinics, with special hospitals to cater mental disorders including schizophrenia. Research on schizophrenia in KSA is scanty and covers limited aspects of the disease there is no known epidemiological data on the prevalence of schizophrenia in the kingdom.

This concept review summarizes the research studies carried out in Saudi Arabia retrieved from Pub Med and some local journals on schizophrenia. It also suggest the priority areas in schizophrenia research with special reference to Saudi population in domain such as molecular and genetic aspects, consanguinity and its impact on transmission dynamics of schizophrenia, Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS), quality of life in schizophrenia, role of religion effecting the quality of life of schizophrenia patients and their relatives.