Schizophrenia is a psychotic disorder or group of disorders that affects the normal functioning of the brain and severely impairs thinking, emotion, and behavior. Doctors do not know the specific cause of schizophrenia, but both environmental and genetic factors do play a role. The symptoms of schizophrenia are delusions (strongly held false beliefs), hallucinations (false perceptions), flat affect (not showing emotion), and disorganized speech, thinking, and behavior.
About 1% of the population worldwide has schizophrenia, even though schizophrenia is one of the top ten causes of disability worldwide.
Schizophrenia is not the same as multiple personality disorder or "split personality." The confusion arises in part due to the meaning of Bleuler's term schizophrenia (literally "split" or "shattered mind"). The "voices" that people with schizophrenia hear may have distinct personalities, but schizophrenia does not involve a person changing among distinct multiple personalities.
Schizophrenia is a biological disease of the brain.
Yes, schizophrenia is a noninfectious disease, meaning that it cannot be spread to anyone else.
Schizophrenia is classified as a disorder by the DSM-IV-TR. This means that it is an abnormality in function. It may or may not be a disease depending on your definition of disease.
paranoid schizophrenia
There is no link between schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease.
Schizophrenia is a treatable disease. Please see a mental health professional.
Schizophrenia is not a developmental disease. It usually occurs in late adolescence or later, rarely occurs before adolescence, and often is present in adults.
Schizophrenia is a disease that effects the mentality of the person. Some of the symptoms include hallucinations, delusions and extreme paranoia. Most cases can be controlled by medications.
It can not be prevented, it is a disease through heritage.
Although it was once thought that a bad childhood could cause schizophrenia, the current understanding of schizophrenia is of a primarily neurological disease.
Schizophrenia is a chronic disease which, at present, is treatable but not curable. Treatment includes antipsychotic drugs and behavioral therapy.
Dopamine plays an important role in schizophrenia and Parkinson's disease. Neurotransmitters are endogenous chemicals that send signals to nerve cells.