Page 7 - Vision Manual

What is Schizophrenia?
Practical Facts about Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that affects a large number of people. Research shows that about one out of every one hundred people (1%) develop schizophrenia at some time in their life. While this might not seem like a lot, that means that around 3.2 million Americans are diagnosed or will be diagnosed with schizophrenia at any given time. It occurs everywhere in the world, within every group and type of person, and at every income level.
Schizophrenia causes symptoms that interfere with many aspects of people’s lives, especially their social life and their ability to remain organized and take care of themselves. Some symptoms make it difficult to know what’s real and what’s not real. Some people who experience schizophrenia describe it as being similar to living in a waking dream, or being in a constant ‘mental fog’. Other symptoms cause problems with motivation, concentration, and experiencing enjoyment.
It is important to know that there are many reasons to be optimistic about the future when you are diagnosed with schizophrenia:
 There are effective medications and other treatments for schizophrenia, and these treatments and medications are being refined constantly.
 People with schizophrenia can learn to manage their illness.
 People with schizophrenia can, and often do, lead productive lives.
The more you know about your illness and the more you take an active role in your treatment, the better you will feel and the more you can accomplish towards your own life goals.
Questions: What did you know about schizophrenia before you had personal experience with it? If you are diagnosed with schizophrenia, what did you think when you were first diagnosed?
What are the symptoms of schizophrenia?
It is really important to remember that the symptoms of schizophrenia can be found in other diagnoses. Schizophrenia is diagnosed based on a combination of different symptoms, how long they’ve been around, and their severity. Symptoms that occur only when a person has used drugs and alcohol are not included.
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