As is the case with many major neuropsychiatric illnesses, the typical age of onset for schizophrenia is in late adolescence or early twenties, with a slightly later onset in females.
In most people with schizophrenia, symptoms generally start in the mid- to late 20s, though it can start later, up to the mid-30s. Schizophrenia is considered early onset when it starts before the age of 18. Onset of schizophrenia in children younger than age 13 is extremely rare.
Kids younger than 13 can develop schizophrenia too, known as childhood-onset schizophrenia, but this is extremely rare. Schizophrenia tends to show up earlier in males than females. For males, it's typically between ages 18 and 25 and for females, between ages 25 and 35.
Schizophrenia tends to run in families, but no single gene is thought to be responsible. It's more likely that different combinations of genes make people more vulnerable to the condition.
BPD is a very different diagnosis than schizophrenia, though the two can co-exist. While BPD is characterized by a pattern of instability in interpersonal relationships; schizophrenia is characterized by a range of cognitive, behavioral, and emotional dysfunctions.
Of the different types of schizophrenia, residual schizophrenia is the mildest, characterized by specific residual schizophrenia symptoms.
Unfortunately, most people with schizophrenia are unaware that their symptoms are warning signs of a mental disorder. Their lives may be unraveling, yet they may believe that their experiences are normal. Or they may feel that they're blessed or cursed with special insights that others can't see.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the decline in life expectancy among people with more severe mental illness ranges from 10–25 years . Most studies of schizophrenia show a life expectancy reduction of 10–20 years.
Although some people with schizophrenia suffer anxiety, it is impossible for people with anxiety disorders to develop schizophrenia as a result of their anxiety disorder. Anxiety sufferers should be reassured that they cannot develop schizophrenia as part of their anxiety state, no matter how bad the anxiety becomes.
You could have: Hallucinations: Seeing or hearing things that aren't there. Delusions: Mistaken but firmly held beliefs that are easy to prove wrong, like thinking you have superpowers, are a famous person, or people are out to get you. Disorganized speech: Using words and sentences that don't make sense to others.
Prodromal stage
This is the first stage of schizophrenia. It occurs before noticeable psychotic symptoms appear. During this stage, a person undergoes behavioral and cognitive changes that can, in time, progress to psychosis.
Understanding Prodrome Syndrome, a Precursor to Schizophrenia. “The prodromal syndrome is essentially a syndrome that leads up to the full-blown psychosis,” says Nitin Gogtay, MD, director of the Office of Clinical Research at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).
The schizotypal personality is characterized by social anxiety, magical thinking, unusual perceptual experiences, eccentric behavior, a lack of close friends, atypical speech patterns, and suspicions bordering on paranoia.
Personality disorders such as antisocial, borderline, histrionic, narcissistic, avoidant, dependent and obsessive-compulsive types have been detected in one third to one half of schizophrenia patients (Nielsen, Hewitt & Habke, 1997; Solano & Chavez, 2000).
The main known risk factors in development of schizophrenia are genetic causes, pregnancy and delivery complications, slow neuromotor development, and deviant cognitive and academic performance.
A family history of psychiatric conditions is considered to be the strongest risk factor for schizophrenia among first-degree relatives (8).
People with schizophrenia suffer a wide range of social cognitive deficits, including abnormalities in eye gaze perception. For instance, patients have shown an increased bias to misjudge averted gaze as being directed toward them.
Schizophrenia is a severe mental health condition that can involve delusions and paranoia. A person with paranoia may fear that other people are pursuing and intending to harm them. This can have a severe impact on their safety and overall well-being.
About two-thirds of people with schizophreniform disorder develop schizophrenia. In some cases, people with schizophreniform disorder also have symptoms of depression, which increases the risk of suicide.
Trauma may cause changes in the body and affect neurotransmitters in the brain, increasing the risk of psychotic symptoms or schizophrenia. Childhood trauma may trigger schizophrenia in those susceptible to it, and people may experience symptoms between their late teens and early 30s.