Yes, it sounds hard to believe, but it is true. Other cultures have different lenses through which they view what we call illness such as schizophrenia. It is often much less harmful to the individual and those around them.

There has been a lot of scholarship in this area in recent years. Here is an interesting article highlighting some of the research:

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/07/when-hearing-voices-is-a-good-thing/374863/