Around one in a hundred people will develop schizophrenia at some time in their life.1 The condition first appears mainly in people aged between 15 and 35.18
Schizophrenia appears earlier in men than in women.22 Its symptoms usually start in men in their late teens to mid-20s and in women in their late 20s to 30s.23
The risk of developing schizophrenia increases if one or more family members are also affected.24
“About one in 10 people with schizophrenia have a parent with the illness”.1
Worldwide, schizophrenia is among the top 10 disabling conditions for young adults.18
The positive symptoms may appear suddenly or over time.23
The negative symptoms of schizophrenia are often similar to those seen in certain other mental disorders such as depression.725
The cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia “often make it hard to lead a normal life and earn a living.”7
More than half of people with schizophrenia are not receiving appropriate care.8
Schizophrenia reduces expected lifespan by an average of 10 years.26
90% of people with untreated schizophrenia live in developing countries.8
Researchers report that the negative symptoms of schizophrenia reduce quality of life more, cause more disability in dealing with life and more burden to others than the positive symptoms do.18
