On this page

Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Living With
• Related Issues
• Specifics
• Genetics

See, Play and Learn

• Health Check Tools

Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Find an Expert

For You

• Children
• Patient Handouts

Summary

Schizophrenia is a serious brain illness. People who have it may hear voices that aren't there. They may think other people are trying to hurt them. Sometimes they don't make sense when they talk. The disorder makes it hard for them to keep a job or take care of themselves.

Symptoms of schizophrenia usually start between ages 16 and 30. Men often develop symptoms at a younger age than women. People usually do not get schizophrenia after age 45. There are three types of symptoms:

• Psychotic symptoms distort a person's thinking. These include hallucinations (hearing or seeing things that are not there), delusions (beliefs that are not true), trouble organizing thoughts, and strange movements.
• "Negative" symptoms make it difficult to show emotions and to function normally. A person may seem depressed and withdrawn.
• Cognitive symptoms affect the thought process. These include trouble using information, making decisions, and paying attention.

No one is sure what causes schizophrenia. Your genes, environment, and brain chemistry may play a role.

There is no cure. Medicine can help control many of the symptoms. You may need to try different medicines to see which works best. You should stay on your medicine for as long as your doctor recommends. Additional treatments can help you deal with your illness from day to day. These include therapy, family education, rehabilitation, and skills training.

NIH: National Institute of Mental Health

Start Here

• Schizophrenia (NAMI)
• Schizophrenia (National Institute of Mental Health) Also in Spanish
• Schizophrenia (American Psychiatric Association)

Treatments and Therapies

• Brain Stimulation Therapies (National Institute of Mental Health)
• Mental Health Medications (National Institute of Mental Health)
• Psychotherapies (National Institute of Mental Health)

Living With

• Managing Life with Serious Mental Illness (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)

Related Issues

• Mental Health Providers: Tips on Finding One (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Specifics

• Schizoaffective Disorder (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Understanding Psychosis (National Institute of Mental Health) Also in Spanish

Genetics

• Schizophrenia: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)

Health Check Tools

• Psychosis and Schizophrenia Test (Mental Health America)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Schizophrenia (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: The study on delirium side-effects after ultra-brief pulse electroconvulsive therapy.
• Article: Metformin-improved cognitive impairment in patients with schizophrenia is correlated with activation...
• Article: Evaluating machine learning algorithms for prediction of treatment response for sleep...
• Schizophrenia -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• FindTreatment.gov (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) Also in Spanish
• Help for Mental Illnesses (National Institute of Mental Health) Also in Spanish
• NAMI
• National Institute of Mental Health Also in Spanish

Children

• Schizophrenia in Children, Teens and Young Adults (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• Mental status testing (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Schizoaffective disorder (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Schizophrenia (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish