Schizophrenia is a serious brain disorder. It is a disease that makes it difficult for aperson to tell the difference between real and unreal experiences, to think logically, tohave normal emotional responses to other, and to behave normally in social situations. People with schizophrenia may also have difficulty in remembering, talking, andbehaving appropriately. Schizophrenia is one of the most common mental illnesses.About 1% of the world population has schizophrenia. In the United States, there areabout 2.5 million people with the disease. Schizophrenia is the cause of morehospitalizations than almost any other illness. Schizophrenia most commonly beginsbetween the ages of 15 and 25. Although it strikes men and women equally, thesymptoms may appear later in women than in men. Very rarely, the symptoms ofschizophrenia can appear before the age of 12. Childhood schizophrenia has a morechronic disease course and involves poor early language development. People with schizophrenia can have a variety of symptoms. Sometimes, thesesymptoms come on suddenly. Usually, though, the illness develops slowly over monthsor even years. At first, the symptoms may not be noticed or may be confused with thoseof other conditions. For example, people with schizophrenia may feel tense, be unable toconcentrate, or have trouble sleeping. They often become increasingly isolated andwithdrawn as their grip on reality loosens. They do not make or keep friends. They maystop caring about the way they look. Dropping out of school or doing badly at work areother early signs of schizophrenia. As the illness progresses, symptoms of psychosisdevelop. The person starts to act strangely and talk nonsensically. People withschizophrenia may develop paranoid delusions. Examples of this would be that theymight see, feel, smell, or hear things that are not really there. They may have physicalsymptoms, like frowning or unusual movements, and ma...
