INTRODUCTION Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness. Patients experience progressive personality changes and a breakdown in their relationships with the outside world. They have disorganized and abnormal thoughts, behavior and speech and become emotionally numb or withdrawn. have with family or school. The person seems less able to cope with "minor" stresses in the usual way. This can develop to extreme levels over months or years (sometimes called negative symptoms). Alternatively, the person may develop elaborate constructions for interpreting the world, as they see it, which may reflect issues that are only in their mind (sometimes called productive or positive symptoms, which, in extreme cases, may take the form of delusions or hearing impairment). hallucinations).” (Schizophrenia: A Background Sketch http://www.biopsychology.uni-essen.de/Background%20Sketch(1).htm) People who suffer from schizophrenia can have a very wide range of symptoms that can cause great distress to them themselves and their families. These symptoms can take many forms, including: • “Positive symptoms” (abnormal experiences), such as hallucinations (seeing, hearing, feeling something that isn't really there), delusions (false and usually strange beliefs), and paranoia (unrealistic fear) • “Negative symptoms” (absence of normal behavior), such as emotional withdrawal and lack of motivation and enjoyment. • Cognitive dysfunction (problems with concentration, learning ability and memory). The lifetime risk of a person suffering from schizophrenia is about 1%, and most people experience their first symptoms between the ages of 15 and 35. “Schizophrenia is a chronic, serious and disabling brain disease. About 1% of the entire population develops schizophrenia in their lifetime. In the vast majority of cases, the onset of the disease occurs between the ages of 15 and 25, making schizophrenia the main cause of permanent disability starting from youth. Schizophrenia causes suicide in about 10% of patients, usually before the age of 30. This makes the disease a leading cause of youth suicide and responsible for more deaths than AIDS, SIDS and MS combined. (NISAD: A S...... middle of paper ...... weeks or even a few days. There are many potential outcomes of schizophrenia. Some people have only one episode of schizophrenia and recover completely while others have several attacks throughout their lives. Some people may need treatment and support throughout their lives. Unfortunately, treatment for schizophrenia usually consists of antipsychotic therapy, counseling, family support, and rehabilitation they need to take medications for the rest of their lives BIBILOGRAPHY1) Convergence of Biological and Psychological Perspectives of Cognitive Coordination in Schizophrenia, Phillips, William A. and Silverstein, Steven M. Behavioral and Brain Sciences(2003) 26, 000-0002) Genes. Unravel Mystery of Schizophrenia, Reuters, 31 August 2004 http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/health/HealthRepublish_1188741.htm3) NISAD: A Schizophrenia Research, http://www.nisad.org.au/ schizophrenia/default.asp4) Schizophrenia: a background sketch http://www.biopsychology.uni-essen.de/Background%20Sketch(1).htm5) SCHIZOPHRENIA.COM http://www.schizophrenia.com/newsletter/ buckets /diag.html