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Schizophrenia
is a
devastating
brain
disorder
that
affects
approximately
2.2 million
American
adults,
or 1.1
percent
of the
population
age 18
and older.
Schizophrenia
interferes
with
a person's
ability
to think
clearly,
to distinguish
reality
from
fantasy,
to manage
emotions,
make
decisions,
and relate
to others.
The first
signs
of schizophrenia
typically
emerge
in the
teenage
years
or early
twenties.
Most
people
with
schizophrenia
suffer
chronically
or episodically
throughout
their
lives,
and are
often
stigmatized
by lack
of public
understanding
about
the disease.
Bad parenting
or personal
weakness
does
not cause
schizophrenia.
A person
with
schizophrenia
does
not have
a "split
personality," and
almost
all people
with
schizophrenia
are not
dangerous
or violent
towards
others
when
they
are receiving
treatment.
The World
Health
Organization
has identified
schizophrenia
as one
of the
ten most
debilitating
diseases
affecting
human
beings.
What
Are
the
Symptoms
of
Schizophrenia?
No
one symptom
positively
identifies
schizophrenia.
All of
the symptoms
of this
illness
can also
be found
in other
brain
disorders.
For example
psychotic
symptoms
may be
caused
by the
use of
drugs,
may be
present
in individuals
with
Alzheimer’s
disease,
or may
be characteristics
of a
manic
episode
in bipolar
disorder.
However,
when
a doctor
sees
the symptoms
of schizophrenia
and carefully
assesses
the history
and the
course
of the
illness
over
six months,
he or
she can
almost
always
make
a correct
diagnosis.
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