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Schizophrenia is one of the most chronic (long-lasting) and disabling of mental health disorders. People with schizophrenia do not have multiple personalities. It is a disorder that causes symptoms of psychosis, such as:
- Hallucinations (hearing voices or seeing things that don't exist)
- Delusions (bizarre thoughts of being persecuted, cheated, poisoned, or harassed and other thoughts that are not based on truth or fact)
- Disordered thinking
- Social withdrawal
Although equal numbers of men and women are affected with this disorder, women with schizophrenia may have more depressive symptoms, paranoia, and auditory hallucinations (hearing voices or things that don't exist) than do men.
Some people with schizophrenia have only one psychotic episode. Others have many episodes during a lifetime, but lead relatively normal lives in between episodes.
Treatments such as medications, when used regularly and as prescribed, can help reduce and control many symptoms. Like diabetes or high blood pressure, schizophrenia is a chronic disorder that needs constant management. At the moment, it cannot be cured, but the number of repeat episodes can be decreased significantly by staying on medication. Although responses vary from person to person, most people with schizophrenia need to take some type of medication for the rest of their lives as well as use other approaches, such as supportive therapy or rehabilitation.
Read more from womenshealth.gov
Schizophrenia: Women's Mental Health — This website provides links to brochures for patients recently diagnosed with schizophrenia and their families.
Explore other publications and websites
Employees With Mental Health Impairments (Copyright © Job Accommodation Network) — This report outlines basic information about common limitations, useful questions to consider, and accommodation possibilities for people who have psychiatric disabilities.
Schizoaffective Disorder (Copyright © Mental Health America) — This publication presents general information on the signs and symptoms of schizoaffective disorder and its treatment.
Schizophrenia — This publication provides an overview of schizophrenia. It includes information on the signs, symptoms, treatment options, and where to go for help.
Schizophrenia (Copyright © American Academy of Family Physicians) — This website provides information on schizophrenia, focusing on how it is treated and what the future holds for schizophrenia drug treatments.
Schizophrenia: What You Need to Know (Copyright © Mental Health America) — This fact sheet provides information on the different types of schizophrenia and their causes, symptoms, and treatments.
Connect with other organizations
American Psychological Association
Brain & Behavior Research Foundation
Mental Health America
National Institute of Mental Health, NIH, HHS
National Mental Health Consumers' Self-Help Clearinghouse
Treatment Advocacy Center
Content last updated March 29, 2010.
Resources last updated March 29, 2010.
A federal government website managed by the Office on Women's Health in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
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