Today marks the World Schizophrenia Day, which was formed in order to inculcate awareness to the people across the globe about this disease. This is one way of giving support to them who are diagnosed of this illness so we could extend help or any form of assistance in order to alleviate their sufferings. How would you know if someone is carrying symptoms or signs of this disease? Who are vulnerable to get this disease? By being aware, it could be avoided and the person could overcome other severe effects in his or her personality and behavior. Don’t ignore them, and we could help the world by knowing these 10 facts about Schizophrenia.
10. Countries that Have Highest Rate of Schizophrenia
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According to statistics, United States incurred the highest number of patients who are diagnosed of this disease. The unreported ratio is not yet included in over 2.7 million people in the US that are suffering from schizophrenia. In fact, there are great figures coming from Wyoming and North Dakota. According to reports, there is one citizen in America that is susceptible out of 100 people. Canada is another country that has another highest numbers of people who have this disease that could reach up to 280,000.
9. Is it A Multiple Personality Disorder?
There is and was a wrong notion about this disease, wherein some attributed it as a multiple personality disorder neither a split personality. In fact, they are not even violent so they won’t really harm people around them, but they have the tendency to commit suicide.
8. Percentage of Patients with Schizophrenia
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You’ll observe that there is a higher percentage found in identical twins for about 46%, which is also same with offspring with two patients. In fact, based on research, about 75% of people who are diagnosed of this disease would likely to develop it when they reach between 16 to 25 years of age.
7. Familiar Symptoms
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Some of the common symptoms of this disease are also attributed as positive signs such as thought disorder, hallucinations, movement disorders, and delusions. In fact, they are considered as psychotic behaviors which others find not normal to a typical or healthy person. Hence, they are individuals who cannot identify real from counterfeits or daydreams. You can’t notice or recognize it right away, but often times when severe cases arrive at its peak, you’ll know that the symptoms are already pointing to this disease.
6. Connection to Substance Abuse
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Initially when you recognize the symptoms, you would think that this person is affected by drugs since they have the same signs. Not in all cases, but according to reports, those people who have been abusing drugs are prone to develop schizophrenia disease. Some of these drugs that may trigger this sickness are cocaine, amphetamines, and marijuana.
5. Cognitive Signs
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You’ll recognize the symptoms if the person cannot focus or concentrate; poor understanding of details or information is evident, they are troubled or bothered and they could not even grasp new things being discussed. They have emotional distress and they can’t even work because of poor attention.
4. Who Gets this Disease?
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You could see on the table that higher risk is placed on group of 15-35 years old, whether you are rich or poor. It typically strikes to young and single people, which normally disables them. The onset of this disease may start at age 10, but development of it happens when one reaches 16 and 25 years old. In fact, there are higher percentages in women who have reached 30 onwards. Nonetheless, young males occupy the largest percentage, especially at age 15 and 40.
3. Negative Symptoms
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This is another group of signs that a person has schizophrenia. Some of which are social withdrawal, inability to complete activity, and lack of pleasure. You’ll get to notice disruptions from someone’s behavior and emotions, which are different from the normal reactions that a person does. In fact, some could not even detect it, and would even misdiagnose it as anxiety or depressive condition.
2. It is Treatable
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Whether individuals have a severe case or not, this disease is treatable, and we would like to correct that notion or perception that it will be irreversible or non-curable. The treatment process will always depend on the patient and to the people who are willing to support and understand the individual untiringly. There are advancements in the medical field that makes things possible that it even decreases the number of people who have received proper evaluation and treatment. There are also institutions designed to those people who have this kind of disease. The choice is up to the members of the family and to the patient.
1. It is a Biochemical Brain Disease
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All of the symptoms mentioned on this article are the results of the biochemical brain disease wherein most of the people who have this kind of situation could not even recognize that there is a problem. In fact, studies show that there is this brain chemical doparmine that is evident to someone who has schizophrenia that is different from that group who has normal behavior and thinking. This is still being studied and discussed by several scientists.