Who is affected by schizophrenia?
Schizophrenia affects more than 2 million Americans, regardless of race, economic condition, or location. In fact there are 300,000 newly diagnosed cases each year. Men and women are at equal risk of developing this illness. However, most males become ill between the late teen years and 25 years old, while females typically develop symptoms between ages 25 and 30. Like high blood pressure and heart disease, schizophrenia can run in families. People who have a relative with schizophrenia are more likely to develop the illness than someone who does not.
Although schizophrenia affects men and women equally, symptoms in men generally begin earlier than in women. In most cases, schizophrenia first appears in men during their late teens or early 20s. In women, schizophrenia often first appears during their 20s or early 30s. Statistics indicate that schizophrenia affects 2.4 million Americans. A child born into a family with one or more schizophrenic family member has a greater chance of developing schizophrenia than a child born into a family with no history of schizophrenia. After a person has been diagnosed with schizophrenia in a family, the chance for a sibling to also be diagnosed with schizophrenia is 7 to 8 percent. If a parent has schizophrenia, the chance for a child to have the disorder is 10 to 15 percent. Risks increase with multiple affected family members.
Schizophrenia is uncommon in children under the age of 12 and hard to identify in the early phases. A sudden onset of the psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia frequently occurs in middle to late adolescence. Statistics indicate that schizophrenia affects approximately 2.4 million Americans. A child born into a family with one or more family members affected by schizophrenia has a greater chance of developing schizophrenia than a child born into a family with no history of schizophrenia. After a person has been diagnosed with schizophrenia in a family, the chance for a sibling to also be diagnosed with schizophrenia is 7 to 8 percent. If a parent has schizophrenia, the chance for a child to have the disorder is 10 percent. Risks increase with multiple affected family members.
