| Schizophrenia, from the Greek roots schizein "to split" | | | | infection may lead to increased risk for schizophrenia |
| and phrn, phren- "mind", is a psychiatric diagnosis that | | | | development in the offspring. It has even been |
| describes a mental illness characterized by | | | | conjectured that babies born in the winter season |
| impairments in the perception or expression of reality, | | | | are at higher risk for developing this mental illness in |
| most commonly manifesting as auditory hallucinations, | | | | their early adulthood. |
| paranoid or bizarre delusions or disorganized speech | | | | Genetic factors appear to play a role, as people who |
| and thinking in the context of significant social or | | | | have family members with schizophrenia may be |
| occupational dysfunction. Onset of symptoms | | | | more likely to get the disease themselves. Some |
| typically occurs in young adulthood, | | | | researchers believe that events in a person's |
| Schizophrenia is a chronic, disabling mental illness that | | | | environment may trigger schizophrenia. For example, |
| may be caused by abnormal amounts of certain | | | | problems during intrauterine development (infection) |
| chemicals in the brain. These chemicals are called | | | | and birth may increase the risk for developing |
| neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters control our | | | | schizophrenia later in life. |
| thought processes and emotions. Schizophrenia is a | | | | People with schizophrenia describe strange or |
| group of serious brain disorders in which reality is | | | | unrealistic thoughts. In many instances, their speech is |
| interpreted abnormally. Schizophrenia results in | | | | hard to follow due to disordered thinking. Common |
| hallucinations, delusions, and disordered thinking and | | | | forms of thought disorder include circumstantiality |
| behavior. People with schizophrenia withdraw from | | | | (talking in circles around the issue), looseness of |
| the people and activities in the world around them, | | | | associations (moving from one topic to the next |
| retreating into an inner world marked by psychosis. | | | | without any logical connection between them), and |
| Schizophrenia is usually diagnosed in people aged | | | | tangentiality (moving from one topic to another |
| 17-35 years. The illness appears earlier in men (in the | | | | where the logical connection is visible, but not |
| late teens or early twenties) than in women (who | | | | relevant to the issue at hand). |
| are affected in the twenties to early thirties). Many | | | | Schizophrenia is a severe, lifelong brain disorder. |
| of them are disabled. They may not be able to hold | | | | People who have it may hear voices, see things that |
| down jobs or even perform tasks as simple as | | | | aren't there or believe that others are reading or |
| conversations. Some may be so incapacitated that | | | | controlling their minds. In men, symptoms usually start |
| they are unable to do activities most people take for | | | | in the late teens and early 20s. They include |
| granted, such as showering or preparing a meal. Many | | | | hallucinations, or seeing things, and delusions such as |
| are homeless. Some recover enough to live a life | | | | hearing voices. |
| relatively free from assistance. | | | | Schizophrenia can be treated with medication in the |
| Environmental factors are merely speculative and | | | | form of tablets or long-acting injections. Social |
| may include complications during pregnancy and birth. | | | | support for the individual and support for carers is |
| For instance, some studies have shown that | | | | important. Counselling may be offered to the person |
| offspring of women whose sixth or seventh month | | | | with schizophrenia and their family. Brain scanning, |
| of pregnancy occurs during a flu epidemic are at | | | | especially MRI scanning, has provided a far greater |
| increased risk for developing schizophrenia although | | | | understanding of the condition and led to the |
| other studies have refuted this. During the first | | | | development of antipsychotic medication and |
| trimester of pregnancy, maternal starvation or viral | | | | therapies. |