Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that makes it hard to tell the difference between real and unreal experiences, to think logically, to have normal emotional responses, and to behave normally in social situations.

This is a very complex illness and experts in the field have yet to determine what causes it.  However, studies show that genetic factors appear to play a role.  People who have family members who are schizophrenic may be more likely to get the illness themselves.

Schizophrenia affects about 1% of the population worldwide. It occurs equally among men and women; however in women it tends to begin later and milder.  For this reason, males tend to account for more than half of the patients in services with high
number of young adults. Although schizophrenia usually begins in young adulthood, there are cases in which the disorder begins later.  Some researchers believe that environmental events may trigger schizophrenia in people who are already genetically at risk for the disorder. For example, a stressful psychological experience may increase the risk for developing schizophrenia later in life.