What is Schizophrenia?


Schizophrenia is a mental illness which affects 1 person in every 100.

 

Schizophrenia interferes with the mental functioning of a person and, in the long term, may cause changes to a person's personality.

 

First onset is usually in adolescence or early adulthood. It can develop in older people, but this is not nearly as common.

 

Some people may experience only one or more brief episodes in their lives. For others, it may remain a recurrent or life-long condition. The onset of illness may be rapid, with acute symptoms developing over several weeks, or it may be slow, developing over months or even years.

 

During onset, the person often withdraws from others, gets depressed and anxious and develops extreme fears or obsessions.