Schizophrenia

Epidemiology

The disease affects 1 in every 100 people worldwide, and is within the ten leading causes of global disability worldwide. Men and women are affected equally by schizophrenia but the age of onset is earlier in men; men tend to show the first signs of disease during their mid 20s, women during their late 20s. The common forms of schizophrenia afflict people between the ages of 15 and 45. It is likely that people with a schizophrenic disorder have a genetic predisposition for the illness. There is a nine times greater risk of suffering from schizophrenia if a brother or sister is affected and a twelve times greater risk if a parent has a schizophrenic disorder.