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Did you
know that...
- Schizophrenia is the most severe of the
mental illnesses and can affect all spheres of life, including perception,
thought, judgement, mood, drive and ultimately, personality.
- Approximately 1.5% of the population
will have an episode of schizophrenia during their lifetime. This represents
about 285,000 Australians.
- This will lead to well over a million
Australians (as family and friends) being directly involved.
- Schizophrenia is ten times more common
than AIDS, cot death and melanoma combined.
- It is estimated that schizophrenia costs
the community at least $2.5 billion per year in direct costs, which
can be multiplied many times to account for the indirect costs.
- Schizophrenia occurs in all societies
at about the same rate, regardless of class, colour, religion, culture
or intelligence.
- The majority of people will develop
schizophrenia between the ages of 15 and 25 - during their most formative
years. However, this average does not exclude younger or older people
from developing schizophrenia.
- Approximately 10% of people diagnosed
with schizophrenia will end their own lives. This is roughly three times
the national average and means that approximately 18,000 Australians
alive today will suicide as a result of schizophrenia.
- Schizophrenia affects both males and
females alike, however, onset often occurs earlier in men than in women.
- Approximately one third of people have
one or two episodes and completely recover. The next third will have
more than two to three episodes and will need ongoing medication but
will have a fairly good quality of life. Slightly less than a third
will have a chronic form of the illness, i.e. they will have difficulty
finding a medication that suits and will be in and out of hospital.
And did you also know
that....
All these people have had psychosis1:
John Nash: a mathematician who was
interested in the 'game theory'. In 1994 he received the Nobel Prize for
economics.
William Chester Minor: was an American
surgeon who spent 37 years in a mental hospital as a result of protracted
psychosis. During his hospitalisation he significantly contributed to
the compilation of the Oxford English dictionary and managed to keep his
disorder a secret from the Editor in Chief.
David Helfgott: is a talented Australian
pianist. He was a child prodigy on the keyboard until his career was interrupted
by psychosis. He is the subject of the movie 'Shine'.
Syd Barrett: was one of the founders
of pop group Pink Flloyd. Before that came about, he dropped out of sight
due to psychotic episodes. He retired from public life and now leads a
quiet life in England.
Vaslav Nijinski: a Russian-born dancer
who achieved almost legendary reputation for his acrobatic daring and
sensitive interpretations of major ballet productions.
Antonin Artaud: was a famous French
artist, poet and theatre producer.
References:
1. De Hert, M., Magiels, G. & Thys,
E. (2000) The Secret of the Brain Chip |
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