1. The Truth AboutSchizophrenia

2. Schizophrenia is a way of describing a “split personality.”

3. False – Schizophrenia is a disease with a physical cause, like cancer or heart disease.

4. No one can recover from schizophrenia.

5. False – With proper treatment and support, the majority of people do recover.

6. Schizophrenia is a common mental illness.

7. True – About 1% of the world’s population and about 3 million U.S. citizens have schizophrenia.

8. Schizophrenia most commonly begins in people over age 50.

9. False – The onset of schizophrenia normally begins between the ages 15 and 25.

10. Schizophrenia can be caused by bad upbringing, or personal or moral weakness.

11. False – Schizophrenia is a disease with a physical cause

12. Schizophrenia can be diagnosed through a series of medical tests.

13. False – Currently there are no medical tests for schizophrenia, but several tools are used by trained professionals to evaluate and diagnose the disorder.

14. Approximately 1 of every 10 people with schizophrenia completes a suicide attempt.

15. True – About 20%-40% of people with schizophrenia attempt to commit suicide. Suicide is the number one cause of death for young people with schizophrenia. Approximately 1 of every 10 people with schizophrenia completes a suicide attempt.

16. Like diabetes, schizophrenia has a genetic pattern.

17. True – There is a hereditary tendency for schizophrenia.

19. Sibling 5%

20. Child with 1 parent w/schizophrenia10%

21. Dizygotic (Fraternal) co-twin10%

22. Child of 2 parentsw/ schizophrenia 40%

24. False – People with schizophrenia are no more likely to be violent. They are the victims of murder 6 times the general population.

26. A result of poor parenting

27. A consequence of substance abuse

29. For more information about schizophrenia and how you can help… http://www.sardaa.org or info@sardaa.org