The reason is that those other cultures seem to have lots less of these illnesses. For schizophrenia, I can give some explanations. I believe that it&#x27;s less common around the equator. Some link that to vitamin D levels, which are way too low in Europe and the US, even if you live in Florida. There may be other reasons, but it&#x27;s worth noting.<p>Another big problem is stress, caused by competitiveness in the western world. When you have a mental illness, you can&#x27;t compete, and that alone is another stress factor. (Some people will perform better, but by far the most will not.) In a low stress low competitive environment, if you can&#x27;t deliver, don&#x27;t have a high performance job, it&#x27;s not that bad. You&#x27;re one of the many, just one with a few quirks. You hear voices, so what. I guess if it&#x27;s not that strange to hear voices, you don&#x27;t have to hide it, and stress goes down, resulting in less voices, etc.