FACTS:
Schizophrenia is a disease that strikes young people in their prime. The usual age of onset is between 16 and 25. Schizophrenia is a medical illness. Period. Treatment works!
Early diagnosis and stabilization on modern treatment can greatly improve prognosis for the illness.
SCHIZOPHRENIA IS NOT RARE: NO ONE IS IMMUNE
Schizophrenia is found all over the world -- in all races, in all cultures and in all social classes It affects 1 in 100 people worldwide. That's approximately 40,000 of our B.C. neighbours -- or 290,000 fellow Canadians
MEN AND WOMEN ARE AFFECTED WITH EQUAL FREQUENCY
For men, the age of onset for schizophrenia is often ages 16 to 20. For women, the age of onset is sometimes later -- ages 20 to 30
WE ARE ALL AFFECTED
More hospital beds in Canada (8%) are occupied by people with schizophrenia than by sufferers of any other medical condition The cost to Canadian society due to hospitalization, disability payments, welfare payments, and lost wages ranks in the billions of dollars annually Other costs -- such as loss of individual potential, personal anguish, and family hardships -- are impossible to measure.
"Not only victims but also families and friends are affected by schizophrenia, each in different ways. Their sufferings are immeasurable, as are the social and financial costs to communities at large." -- Seeman, Littman, et al.
What is Schizophrenia?
SCHIZ-O-PHRE-NI-A, n. Any of a group of psychotic reactions characterized by withdrawal from reality with highly variable affective, behavioral and intellectual disturbances. -- American Heritage Dictionary
Schizophrenia is ... characterized by delusions, by hallucinations, by disturbances in thinking and communication, and by deteriorating social functioning. - Edward Sachar, MD.
No definition of schizophrenia can adequately describe all people with the illness. Because it is a disease of the brain and the brain is a complex organ, schizophrenia is also very complex.
What is clear is that
The disease can effect normal, intelligent people in all walks of life; and The disease distorts the senses, making it very difficult for the individual to tell what is real from what is not real. Given proper support, many people with schizophrenia can learn how to deal with their symptoms, and lead reasonably comfortable and productive lives.
SCHIZOPHRENIA IS:
A BRAIN DISEASE IDENTIFIED BY CONCRETE, SPECIFIC SYMPTOMS MARKED BY EXTREME THOUGHT DISORDER ALMOST ALWAYS TREATABLE WITH MEDICATION
What Causes Schizophrenia? "We do not yet understand precisely the cause or the causes of schizophrenia, although research is progressing rapidly."
