This is a multi-authored work, with 39 contributors from various European countries, Australia and the USA; it provides a cohesive, well-structured overview of the current state of affairs in the epidemiology of schizophrenia, readable by both specialists and informed lay readers.

The book is organised into five parts. The first discusses the social epidemiology of schizophrenia, including socio-environmental issues such as geographical variation in incidence between developing and developed countries, the declining incidence of schizophrenia and the elevated risk of this disorder in urban areas and in immigrant groups. Fundamentals of social epidemiology – for example, the discrimination between age, period and cohort effects – are outlined in a clear and non-technical way.

Developmental epidemiology, defined by the authors as ‘the study of early antecedents and risk factors for adult-onset illness’, is addressed in part 2, which provides an overview of prenatal and perinatal risk factors, childhood development factors, prodromal signs and early course, the value of first-episode studies, and extreme age of onset schizophrenia (very early or very late). Part 3 introduces the genetic epidemiology of schizophrenia, beginning with an overview of ‘classical’ genetic epidemiology, including an outline of model-fitting procedures to quantify genetic components. One of the questions discussed is whether the genetic predisposition is for the syndrome in isolation or for schizotypal traits in the general population. However, many other questions remain unresolved. The application of epidemiological principles in genetic research, as is argued in the second chapter of part 3, can be helpful in making more progress in this area. The final two chapters of this part discuss the gene-environment interaction, including the contribution of neuroimaging studies. In part 4 a number of special issues are presented, including mortality, suicide, substance misuse, and criminal violent behaviour. In part 5, future directions and emerging issues are outlined; these include discussion about the categorical v. the dimensional nature of psychosis. The final two chapters discuss the role of epidemiology in service planning, and the possibilities of primary prevention strategies.

In this book the findings of various disciplines in the epidemiology of schizophrenia are integrated. Leading scientists in each discipline present and discuss the key findings and provide guidelines for future research, making it a valuable contribution to this field of study, for both clinicians and researchers.