Prevalence By Country The country with the highest prevalence of schizophrenia is Indonesia, with a total of 829,735 people with the disorder.
It is relatively rare for children and older adults to develop schizophrenia, but it does happen. More commonly the incidence (rate of diagnosis) of new cases of schizophrenia increases in the teen years, reaching a peak of vulnerability between the ages of 16 and 25 years.
Schizophrenia affects roughly 20 million people worldwide (5). In Australia, schizophrenia affects around 2.4 per 1000 people.
Some statistics show Black people are more often diagnosed with schizophrenia than people of other races.
While limited mental health resources in the community may lead to homelessness and frequent hospitalizations, it is a misconception that people with schizophrenia end up homeless or living in hospitals. Most people with schizophrenia live with their family, in group homes or on their own.
He also pointed out that in developing countries the proportion of cases with acute onset schizophrenia was twice as high as in developed countries.
Risk factors
Having a family history of schizophrenia. Some pregnancy and birth complications, such as malnutrition or exposure to toxins or viruses that may impact brain development. Taking mind-altering (psychoactive or psychotropic) drugs during teen years and young adulthood.
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. However, having these genes does not necessarily mean you'll develop schizophrenia.
Affecting about 1 percent of the population, schizophrenia is known to be as much as 90 percent heritable, yet discovering how specific genes work to confer risk has proven elusive, until now. A team of scientists led by Steve McCarroll, Ph. D.
Anxiety disorders (such as Social Phobia) are the most common type of disorder, affecting 1 in 6 (17%, or 3.3 million) Australians, followed by Affective disorders (such as Depressive Episode) (8%), and Substance Use disorders (such as Alcohol Dependence) (3. %).
What is schizophrenia? Schizophrenia is a complex brain disorder, which affects about one in a 100 or between 150,000 and 200,000 Australians.
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.
Research suggests that schizophrenia occurs due to a combination of genetic and environmental factors, which can cause abnormal development in the brain. In people with these risk factors, severely stressful life events, trauma, abuse, or neglect may trigger the condition.
One of the best-known risk factors for schizophrenia is having a family history. In reality, however, 80 percent of people with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, particularly with psychosis, have no family history at all.
Does Schizophrenia Ever Go Away? Like many of the mental issues we treat, schizophrenia never truly goes away in the sense that we have a cure for it. The good news is that individuals diagnosed as schizophrenic have gone on to live successful, productive lives after seeking treatment.
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.
Globally the incident cases and DALYs of schizophrenia increased from 1990 to 2017, in 2017 reaching 1.13 million (95% uncertainty interval [UI] = 1.00 to 1.28 million) and 12.66 million (95% UI = 9.48 to 15.56 million), respectively.
You're more likely to get schizophrenia if someone in your family has it. If it's a parent, brother, or sister, your chances go up by 10%. If both your parents have it, you have a 40% chance of getting it.
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.
Patients of Chinese descent had the most severe mental illness, followed by South Asians. Both groups were more likely than other patients to have a diagnosis of schizophrenia, to be admitted against their will, to have more than three positive symptoms, and to behave aggressively.
Some people do recover “fully” from schizophrenia. Ten years after diagnosis: 50% of people with schizophrenia recover or improve to the point they can work and live on their own. 25% are better but need help from a strong support network to get by.