Schizophrenia (Print Version)

MedlinePlus Health Information: A service of the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health

Schizophrenia

URL of this page: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/schizophrenia.html

Schizophrenia is a severe, lifelong brain disorder. People who have it may hear voices, see things that aren't there or believe that others are reading or controlling their minds. In men, symptoms usually start in the late teens and early 20s. They include hallucinations, or seeing things, and delusions such as hearing voices. For women, they start in the mid-20s to early 30s. Other symptoms include

Unusual thoughts or perceptions
Disorders of movement
Difficulty speaking and expressing emotion
Problems with attention, memory and organization

No one is sure what causes schizophrenia, but your genetic makeup and brain chemistry probably play a role. Medicines can relieve many of the symptoms, but it can take several tries before you find the right drug. You can reduce relapses by staying on your medicine for as long as your doctor recommends. With treatment, many people improve enough to lead satisfying lives.

National Institute of Mental Health

Start Here

Schizophrenia(National Institute of Mental Health) - http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/schizophrenia/complete-publication.shtml
Also available in Spanish http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/spanish/esquizofrenia/summary.shtml
Schizophrenia(Mental Health America) - http://www.nmha.org/go/information/get-info/schizophrenia

Overviews

Let's Talk Facts about Schizophrenia(American Psychiatric Association) - Links to PDF - http://healthyminds.org/factsheets/LTF-Schizophrenia.pdf

Latest News

Newer Antipsychotics No Better Than Older Drug in Treating Child and Adolescent Schizophrenia(09/15/2008, National Institute of Mental Health) - http://www.nih.gov/news/health/sep2008/nimh-15.htm
Molecular Switch Boosts Brain Activity Associated with Schizophrenia(08/13/2008, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) - http://www.nih.gov/news/health/aug2008/nichd-13.htm
Estrogen May Have Preventive Role in Women's Schizophrenia(08/04/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_67743.html
Increased Burden of Rare Genetic Variations Found in Schizophrenia(07/30/2008, National Institute of Mental Health) - http://www.nih.gov/news/health/jul2008/nimh-30.htm
Medication Reduces Violence in Some Schizophrenics(07/03/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_66560.html
FDA Approves First Generic Risperidone to Treat Psychiatric Conditions(06/30/2008, Food and Drug Administration) - http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2008/NEW01855.html

Treatment

Antipsychotic Drugs: Summary of Affordable Alternatives(Consumers Union of U.S.) - http://www.consumerreports.org/health/best-buy-drugs/antipsychotics.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.consumerreports.org/health/resources/pdf/best-buy-drugs/Antipsychs-SpanishFINAL.pdf
Drug Approved for Two Psychiatric Conditions in Children and Adolescents(Food and Drug Administration) - http://www.fda.gov/consumer/updates/risperdal082207.html
Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/electroconvulsive-therapy/MY00129/METHOD=print&DSECTION=all
Medications(National Institute of Mental Health) - http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/medications/complete-publication.shtml

Specific Conditions

Catatonic Schizophrenia(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/catatonic-schizophrenia/DS00863/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
Disorganized Schizophrenia(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/disorganized-schizophrenia/DS00864/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
Paranoid Schizophrenia(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/paranoid-schizophrenia/DS00862/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
Schizoaffective Disorder(Mental Health America) - http://www.nmha.org/go/information/get-info/schizophrenia/schizoaffective-disorder

Related Issues

Mental Health Providers: Find One to Suit Your Needs(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/mental-health/MH00008/METHOD=print

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Schizophrenia(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Schizophrenia%22
NIMH Genetic Study of Schizophrenia(National Institute of Mental Health) - http://cbdb.nimh.nih.gov/sibstudy/index.html

Research

Gene Variant Linked to Schizophrenia(National Institute of Mental Health) - http://www.nimh.nih.gov/science-news/2007/gene-variant-linked-to-schizophrenia.shtml
Older Drug May Be More Cost-Effective for Some Patients with Schizophrenia(National Institute of Mental Health) - http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/dec2006/nimh-01.htm
Questions and Answers about the NIMH Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness Study (CATIE)(National Institute of Mental Health) - http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/trials/practical/catie/questions-and-answers-about-the-nimh-antipsychotic-trials-of-intervention-effectiveness-study-catie-phase-1-results.shtml
Rare Genetic Glitches May Raise Schizophrenia Risk(National Institutes of Health) - http://www.nih.gov/news/research_matters/april2008/04072008schizophrenia.htm

Journal Articles

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

Article: Clinical questions and uncertainty--prolactin measurement in patients with schizophrenia and... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18477624&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: Antipsychotic-induced hyperprolactinaemia, hypogonadism and osteoporosis in the treatment of schizophrenia. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18477623&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: The role of atypical antipsychotic agents in the treatment of... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18690933&tool=MedlinePlus
Schizophrenia -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=schizophrenia[majr]+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+jsubsetk[text]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus

Medical Encyclopedia

Schizophrenia - http://vsearch.nlm.nih.gov/vivisimo/cgi-bin/query-meta?v:project=medlineplus&binning-state=group%3d%3dMedical%20Encyclopedia&query=Schizophrenia

Directories

Mental Health Services Locator(Center for Mental Health Services) - http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/databases/

Organizations

Center for Mental Health Services - http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/
Mental Health America - http://www.nmha.org/
NAMI - http://www.nami.org/
Also available in Spanish http://www.nami.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Inform_Yourself/NAMI_en_español/NAMI_en_español.htm
National Institute of Mental Health - http://www.nimh.nih.gov/

Children

Childhood Schizophrenia(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/childhood-schizophrenia/DS00868/METHOD=print&DSECTION=all

You may also be interested in these MedlinePlus related pages:

Mental Health and Behavior - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/mentalhealthandbehavior.html

The primary NIH organization for research on Schizophrenia is the National Institute of Mental Health - http://www.nimh.nih.gov/

Schizophrenia - Multiple Languages - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/languages/schizophrenia.html

Date last updated: September 15 2008

Topic last reviewed: May 16 2008