Auditory Brainstem Responses of Schizophrenic Patients in a Nigerian Mental Health Clinic

Abstract

Background: Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by incoherent or illogical thoughts, bizarre behavior and speech, delusions or hallucinations such as hearing voices. The prevalence rate of schizophrenia is about 1.1 percent of the population over the age of 18 years old, while the average age of onset is 18 and 25 years old in male and female respectively. This is considered the most critical age in social and vocational development. Most schizophrenic patients have a low socioeconomic status but this is not because schizophrenia preferentially targets the poor but mainly because it brings about drastic impairment in social and occupational skills.