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Schizophrenia is a severe mental disease characterized by unpredictable
disturbances in thinking. The word schizophrenia means a splitting of the mind.
It refers to the characteristic schizophrenic behaviour of withdrawing from
reality and thinking in illogical, confused patterns. The term does not mean
that a victim has more than one personality.
Schizophrenia is one of the most common mental disorders. Most patients develop
the disease from their late teens to mid-20's. Men tend to develop it earlier
than women and often more severely.
Many people with schizophrenia develop delusions and behave as though they live
in a fantasy world. They may hear "voices" that others cannot hear. The patients
may believe that these "voices" carry messages from important people, or even
from God. Schizophrenics often suffer disturbances in mood and behaviour. Some
patients seem to feel no emotions, but others may display inappropriate
emotions, such as laughing at sad situations. Some patients withdraw from their
family and friends and talk mainly to themselves or to their "voices."
Doctors do not know the cause of schizophrenia. Genetic factors may be partly
responsible for some cases. Abnormal brain chemistry also plays a role. Certain
chemicals called neurotransmitters, which allow nerve cells to communicate with
each other, have been found to be at abnormal levels in some people with
schizophrenia.
Before the 1950's, most people suffering from schizophrenia had to remain in
mental hospitals. Since then, scientists have developed drugs that block the
action of dopamine, a neurotransmitter, on certain nerve cells. In most cases,
these drugs do not cure schizophrenia, but they usually reduce the symptoms so
that most patients can leave the hospital. In addition, psychotherapy and
rehabilitation programmes can help patients live outside the hospital. A small
number of patients do not respond to treatment and must remain hospitalized.
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