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Schizophrenia

How common is schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia can affect anyone.

Researchers have found that:

At any one time, about 7 in 1,000 adults have schizophrenia

Source:
Picchioni MM, Murray RM.
Schizophrenia.
British Medical Journal. 2007; 335: 91-95.

¹
The chance of getting schizophrenia at some point in your life is about 1 in 100

Source:
Mueser KT, McGurk SR.
Schizophrenia.
Lancet. 2004; 363: 2063.

²
Some studies have found that men are more likely to get schizophrenia than women. According to these studies, roughly three men get schizophrenia for every two women who get it.

Source:
McGrath JJ.
Variations in the incidence of schizophrenia: data versus dogma.
Schizophrenia Bulletin. 2006; 32: 195-197.

³ However, other studies have found that men and women are equally likely to get schizophrenia

Source:
Bhugra D.
The global prevalence of schizophrenia.
PLoS Medicine. 2005; 2: 151.

⁴
Schizophrenia tends to affect people for the first time as young adults. The average age for first getting symptoms is 25. However, men tend to be affected at a younger age than women.

Source:
Aleman A, Kahn RS, Selten JP.
Sex differences in the risk of schizophrenia. Evidence from meta-analysis.
Archives of General Psychiatry. 2003; 60: 565-571.

⁵

Sources for the information on this page:

Picchioni MM, Murray RM. Schizophrenia. British Medical Journal. 2007; 335: 91-95.

Mueser KT, McGurk SR.Schizophrenia.Lancet. 2004; 363: 2063.

McGrath JJ.Variations in the incidence of schizophrenia: data versus dogma.Schizophrenia Bulletin. 2006; 32: 195-197.

Bhugra D.The global prevalence of schizophrenia.PLoS Medicine. 2005; 2: 151.

Aleman A, Kahn RS, Selten JP.Sex differences in the risk of schizophrenia. Evidence from meta-analysis.Archives of General Psychiatry. 2003; 60: 565-571.

This information was last updated on Nov 06, 2008

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