Schizophrenia-- Signs, Stats, and Facts

There are many symptoms and signs associated with schizophrenia with the different types of schizophrenia being named after the main symptoms. Some of the more common schizophrenia symptoms include:

• Delusions

• Hallucinations

• Paranoia

• Aggression

• Agitation

• Disorganized behavior

Currently, 2.6 million adults in the United States have schizophrenia. With that, 20% of them attempt to commit suicide at least once. Additionally, 13.2% of those with schizophrenia have at least one violent offense. The onset of schizophrenia is usually during one’s late teens to early 30s with men usually diagnosed with it younger than females. The exact reason schizophrenia arises in late adolescence is unknown, but one possible reason is that one’s brain changes a lot during puberty which may be the trigger in people already at risk for the disease.

On average, schizophrenia causes an average decline in life expectancy by 14.5 years. There are many explanations for the average decline in life expectancy. One is that 20% of schizophrenic deaths are due to suicide with the highest chance of suicide occurring in the first 4 years one has the disease. Another explanation is that having schizophrenia increases one’s likelihood of developing cardiovascular disease and substance abuse which can also reduce the length of one’s life.