Psychosis and Civilization

Socio-cultural factors in mental disorder

“…It is also true that several surveys of incidence rates afforded some support to this assumption. Goldhamer and Marshall (1953), however, seriously questioned the reliability of this earlier data on the ground that it embraced too short a time span (generally under 20 years). Therefore, these two investigators set out to explore the issue anew with an unusually extensive, cautious, and carefully thought out study of comparative incidence rates (primarily in Massachusetts) of first admission psychoses over about a 100 year period.…”

“…Similar findings are reported by Jaco (1954) and by Hollingshead and Redlich (1954s). Further, Goldhamer and Marshall (1953) compared relative incidences of native born and immigrant group psychosis over a considerable period and found no differences.…”

“…Probably the most significant commentary on the role of "culture conflict" as a determinant of mental disorder is the recent work of Goldhamer and Marshall (1953). It is apparent that the emphasis from the culture conflict point of view is on phenomena connected with social change.…”

Epidemiology and mental disorder: A review

“…To the long-standing controversy on the putative increase of mental disorder, Goldhamer and Marshall made a useful contribution by comparing mental hospital admission rates in Massachussets over an interval of 100 years (Goldhamer and Marshall, 1953). They found that the nineteenth and twentieth century age-specific rates were radically different; in the earlier period there was a relatively high concentration in the 20 to 50 age group, whereas in the more recent period the majority of patients admitted were in their fifties and sixties.…”