Schizophrenia is a complex and disabling psychiatric disorder that affects a person's ability to distinguish between real and unreal experiences, think logically, have normal emotional responses and behave appropriately.

Patients can be diagnosed with schizophrenia at any age, but the condition most often develops between the ages of 16 and 25 years. There are several types of schizophrenia, including paranoid, disorganized, catatonic, undifferentiated and residual. Depending on the type of schizophrenia, patients may report hearing voices that others cannot hear, believing their minds are being read or thinking that others are plotting to harm them.

The exact cause of schizophrenia is not known, but mental health experts believe the condition has some connection to genetic and environmental factors. Patients with schizophrenia usually first develop symptoms in adolescence or early adulthood. The condition occurs in about 1 percent of the U.S. population, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

Schizophrenia can be difficult to diagnose because its symptoms are often similar to those of other mental illnesses and symptoms may start as mild and get worse over a long period of time. Physicians will usually rule out other disorders, such as bipolar disorder, psychotic depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, personality disorder or substance abuse, before making a definite diagnosis.

Schizophrenia can be difficult to diagnose because its symptoms are often similar to those of other mental illnesses. Physicians will usually rule out other disorders, such as bipolar disorder and substance abuse, before making a diagnosis. Diagnosing schizophrenia in children and adolescents can be especially difficult because hallucinations often occur in these age groups due to other causes. In addition, certain physiological diseases, such as brain tumors, can cause some symptoms that may be mistaken for a mental disorder.

People with schizophrenia are usually treated with antipsychotic medications. Psychosocial therapy may also be recommended to help people manage their illness and establish and maintain healthy relationships.

People with schizophrenia can usually control their symptoms with appropriate treatment, and should expect to recover sufficiently to work productively and have normal relationships. The idea that schizophrenia automatically means a person is disabled is not based in fact; however, it is frequently the case for those who refuse to work with their doctors and other treatment team members to develop a treatment plan and a medication plan that works for them.