Schizophrenia (Print Version)

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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

Schizophrenia(American Psychiatric Association) - Links to PDF - http://healthyminds.org/factsheets/LTF-Schizophrenia.pdf

Latest News

FDA Approves Fanapt to Treat Schizophrenia(05/06/2009, Food and Drug Administration) - http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2009/NEW02009.html
Flow of Potassium Into Cells Implicated in Schizophrenia(05/05/2009, National Institute of Mental Health) - http://www.nih.gov/news/health/may2009/nimh-05.htm
Bullying May Make Kids Psychotic(05/04/2009, Reuters Health) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_83790.html
Gene Variant Tied to Schizophrenia(04/10/2009, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_82803.html
Parasite May Trigger Schizophrenia(03/18/2009, Reuters Health) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_81870.html

Treatment

Antipsychotic Drugs(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/health/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

Genetics

Looking at My Genes: What Can They Tell Me?(National Institute of Mental Health) - http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/looking-at-my-genes-what-can-they-tell-me.shtml

Research

Brain's Wiring Stunted, Lopsided in Childhood Onset Schizophrenia(National Institute of Mental Health) - http://www.nimh.nih.gov/science-news/2008/brains-wiring-stunted-lopsided-in-childhood-onset-schizophrenia.shtml
Gene Variant Linked to Schizophrenia(National Institute of Mental Health) - http://www.nimh.nih.gov/science-news/2007/gene-variant-linked-to-schizophrenia.shtml
Not All Antipsychotics Created Equal: Analysis Reveals Important Differences(National Institute of Mental Health) - http://www.nimh.nih.gov/science-news/2008/not-all-antipsychotics-created-equal-analysis-reveals-important-differences.shtml
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: Schizophrenia and epilepsy: is there a shared susceptibility? - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19367784&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: Organization of cognitive control within the lateral prefrontal cortex in... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19349307&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: Progressive gray matter reduction of the superior temporal gyrus during... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19349306&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

Seniors

Psychoses (Delusions and Hallucinations)(AGS Foundation for Health in Aging) - http://www.healthinaging.org/agingintheknow/chapters_ch_trial.asp?ch=34

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: May 06 2009

Topic last reviewed: November 03 2008