WHAT IS SCHIZOPHRENIA?
The information contained here is taken from a free leaflet (see
publications page)
"When we consider the impact of schizophrenia on the present generation
(there are about 40 million schizophrenics in the world), we can conclude that no war in history
has produced so many victims, wounded so many people. No earthquake has claimed
so high a toll; no other condition that we know of has deprived so many young
people of the promise of life".
Silvano Arieti, M. D.
"Understanding and Helping the Schizophrenic".
SCHIZOPHRENIA IS...
the major mental illness. Different patterns of symptoms occur, but the main acute psychotic
symptoms are disorders of thinking (delusions for example), disorders of perception
(such as hallucinations), feelings of being controlled, and interpreting things that happen
as having a very personal significance.
Symptoms associated with chronic schizophrenia include withdrawal, loss of motivation
and confidence, self neglect and difficulty in forming and sustaining relationships.
SCHIZOPHRENIA IS...
a common illness. Around one person in a hundred will suffer from schizophrenia at some
point in their lives.
SCHIZOPHRENIA IS...
probably caused by a biological predisposition in an individual triggered by environmental
pressures or stresses.
SCHIZOPHRENIA IS...
an illness that strikes people in their late teens and twenties and are the most commonly
affected by the first episode. Some people do well and may recover, others will be left with a variety of
symptoms for varying lengths of time. The pattern of progress in schizophrenia differs between
individuals.
SCHIZOPHRENIA IS...
controllable in the acute psychotic phase in the majority of cases by the use of drugs and an
appropriately supportive environment. There is no cure for schizophrenia as yet, but research
is continuing into all aspects of schizophrenia and its treatment.
SCHIZOPHRENIA IS...
found in all cultures and societies in roughly the same numbers. There is no bias in terms of
sex, age, race or creed.
SCHIZOPHRENIA CAN BE...
a frightening word. People do not understand what it is and how it makes a person behave.
They may have a misunderstanding about the illness stemming from the inaccurate portrayal
of schizophrenia in films and other media. It thus helps to know what
schizophrenia is not, as well as what it is.
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