Schizophrenia is a mental illness that is believed to distort how a person thinks and perceives reality
Notes:
- Schizophrenia is a psychotic disorder affecting less than one percent of the U.S. population. Active symptoms include delusions, hearing voices, hallucinations, impaired speech, and distorted thinking.
- A diagnosis of Schizophrenia is marked by a person’s inability to tell what is real from what is imagined. Although Schizophrenia is considered a life-long condition, psychotic episodes usually last between one and six months.
- The causes of schizophrenia are still unknown. Clinicians suggest a combination of genetic, psychological, and environmental factors predispose a person to develop the condition.
