Schizophrenia is associated with changes in the structure and functioning of a number of key brain systems, including prefrontal and medial temporal lobe regions involved in working memory and declarative memory, respectively.
Since it was first identified, schizophrenia has been recognized as a degenerative disease. However, the progression to structural brain damage is not inevitable, and can be arrested with expeditious, decisive treatment.
Managing schizophrenia is a lifelong process, and although there's no cure, it can be treated with medications and therapy. However, one-fifth to one-half of patients with schizophrenia who show severe symptoms don't respond to medication.
The range of illnesses that afflict people with schizophrenia disproportionately is very wide and includes the more obvious candidates like heart disease, stroke and diabetes but also high blood pressure, some cancers, sexual dysfunction, osteoporosis and infectious diseases like HIV, TB and hepatitis3,12.
It is not currently possible to diagnose schizophrenia using brain imaging alone. Instead, researchers look at abnormalities in the brain, which are common among people with schizophrenia and not common in people who do not have schizophrenia.
There's another key brain difference. Studies show that certain brain chemicals that control thinking, behavior, and emotions are either too active or not active enough in people with schizophrenia. Doctors also believe the brain loses tissue over time.
In the past, it was accepted that schizophrenia can worsen as people age. However, research in recent years suggests that although some symptoms may get worse with age, others will remain stable, and some symptoms may actually improve with age.
Schizophrenia causes psychosis and is associated with considerable disability and may affect all areas of life including personal, family, social, educational, and occupational functioning. Stigma, discrimination, and violation of human rights of people with schizophrenia are common.
People with schizophrenia experience psychosis, which means they can have serious problems with thinking clearly, emotions, and knowing what is real and what is not. This can include hearing or seeing things that are not there (hallucinations), and having very strange beliefs that are abnormal or not true (delusions).
Most people with schizophrenia make a recovery, although many will experience the occasional return of symptoms (relapses). Support and treatment can help you to manage your condition and the impact it has on your life.
Schizophrenia is a complex brain disorder. It often runs in families and can cause troubling symptoms. It's caused by a chemical imbalance and other changes in the brain. Symptoms include hearing voices, feeling that people are out to get you, and having false beliefs that are not based in reality.
Signs and symptoms may vary, but usually involve delusions, hallucinations or disorganized speech, and reflect an impaired ability to function. The effect can be disabling. In most people with schizophrenia, symptoms generally start in the mid- to late 20s, though it can start later, up to the mid-30s.
Potential long-term effects of schizophrenia
Destroyed relationships with family and friends. Social isolation. Addiction. Significant health problems due to poor self-care and an inability to follow medical advice.
People with schizophrenia experience difficulties in remembering their past and envisioning their future. However, while alterations of event representation are well documented, little is known about how personal events are located and ordered in time.
Though schizophrenia isn't as common as other major mental illnesses, it can be the most chronic and disabling. People with schizophrenia often have problems doing well in society, at work, at school, and in relationships. They might feel frightened and withdrawn, and could appear to have lost touch with reality.
They may believe other people are reading their minds, controlling their thoughts, or plotting to harm them. They may sit for hours without moving or talking. These symptoms make holding a job, forming relationships, and other day-to-day functions especially difficult for people with schizophrenia.
What Is the Typical Age of Onset for Schizophrenia? Men and women are equally likely to get this brain disorder, but guys tend to get it slightly earlier. On average, men are diagnosed in their late teens to early 20s. Women tend to get diagnosed in their late 20s to early 30s.
Late-onset schizophrenia is defined as onset of psychosis after age 45 years and it has been previously associated with a higher proportion of women, high levels of occupational functioning and marital relationships, as well as more severe paranoid delusions and more visual, tactile, and olfactory hallucinations.
People with schizophrenia are more likely to develop alcoholism. This in turn can lead to long-term diseases such as high blood pressure, liver disease, and even some cancers. All of these conditions can affect your life expectancy.
This can include disorganized thinking, paranoia, delusions, hallucinations, agitation, or a loss of interest in activities. These symptoms can affect almost every aspect of a person's life. That's why it's 10/10 important you talk with a healthcare professional if you suspect you or a loved one has schizophrenia.
People with schizophrenia have trouble differentiating fiction from reality, which is accurately portrayed in a scene where John gives a speech about his current research. During this scene, John sees men in suits and believes them to be soviet spies who have been ordered to capture him.
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.