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National Schizophrenia Awareness Day

National Schizophrenia Awareness Day

National Schizophrenia Awareness Day on 25 July shines a light on the everyday challenges the millions of people living with a diagnosis of schizophrenia face and how we can tackle the stigma and discrimination around it.

The reality of schizophrenia

One in 100 people will experience schizophrenia. Despite being so common, the stigma surrounding schizophrenia remains stubbornly high due to a lack of understanding.

Schizophrenia is a very complex condition that can affect how a person thinks, feels, and experiences the world around them. While the word is made up of schizo (to split) and phrene (the mind), schizophrenia does not mean split personality.

People with a diagnosis of schizophrenia can often experience very different symptoms, including:

Audio hallucinations (hearing voices)
Delusions
Disorganised thinking
Changes in body language or emotions

Find out more about schizophrenia.

Donate today

Change the lives of people living with schizophrenia this National Schizophrenia Awareness Day.

Make a donation

Living with schizophrenia

Leon's story

"This is real mental illness. It’s not a quirky series of personality traits; you can’t hit the gym and lift your way out of it."

Read Leon's story

Mark's story

"Life then strangely full of ups and downs and is not at all negative. The point is to try to brave these symptoms, step by step."

Read Mark's story

Ashley's story

"When I told my close friends and family about my diagnosis, they were very understanding and accommodating. However, I was selective about which family and friends I told."

Read Ashley's story

Jamie's story

"I started to feel a bit better after taking the medication, and soon I moved into a Rethink Mental Illness Supported Accommodation Service."

Read Jamie's story

Hal's story

"Voices would whisper to me and shout at me. They were so venomous, insidious, unfailing, unending."

Read Hal's more

Can people recover?

When we talk about recovery, we mean regaining a good quality of life rather than 'being cured'.

For some people, schizophrenia will be a life-long condition that will need day-to-day management. This can be a combination of medication, talking therapies (such as CBT or actively engaging with hallucinations) and a good support network.

Approximately one in four-to-five people with schizophrenia will recover completely and go on to live independently without further episodes.

Learn more about schizophrenia

What is schizophrenia?

A lot of people live full and happy lives with this mental illness but the condition is still very stigmatised and misunderstood.
Watch for more Watch for more
Caring for someone with schizophrenia

Trina cares for her son, Mark, who lives with schizophrenia. Together, they run our Braintree Art Group which supports people severely affected by mental illness and their carers.
Watch their story Watch their story

What you can do

Show your support to people living with schizophrenia, educate the people in your life and end the stigma and discrimination around the condition, in anyway you can:
- Share our What is Schizophrenia? video
- Retweet our stories about living with schizophrenia on Twitter
- Spread the word about National Schizophrenia Awareness Day on Facebook
- Add our facts about Schizophrenia to your Instagram stories
- Join us on TikTok and Threads
- Download our poster for your workplace
- Share our social cards, right-click and save them to your desktop and share share share
Suggested copy:

Despite 1 in 100 people living with schizophrenia, the stigma surrounding it remains stubbornly high. For #NSAD2023, we want to change that. Join us. Together we can shine a light on the realities of schizophrenia.
Rethink Mental Illness works tirelessly to improve the lives of everyone severely affected by mental illness.

Make a difference this National Schizophrenia Awareness Day and donate to our life-saving work, including:
- The Rethink Mental Illness Advice Service. Over the phone, it offers practical help on welfare benefits, medication, community and much more.
- Our campaigning efforts to change unfair laws and tackle discrimination against people with mental illness.
- The Rethink Mental Illness peer support groups that offer acceptance and reassurance to anyone with a mental illness looking to talk in a safe-space.
Click here to make a donation to Rethink Mental Illness.
Mark National Schizophrenia Awareness Day by putting on a fundraising event in your community. Whether it's a cake sale, pub quiz, or a group walk, set up your JustGiving page and make a difference for people living with schizophrenia.

If you're a runner, cyclist, or swimmer, use National Schizophrenia Awareness Day as your nudge to sign up to anything from the Great North Run, London to Brighton, or Swim Serpentine.

Find out more about our events and ways to fundraise for Rethink Mental Illness.

Support

Support groups

Speaking to other people in the same boat can also really help. We have 140 support groups across England, where people living with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, and their carers, can speak openly and support each other.

Find a group Support groups

Schizophrenia advice and information

Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness that affects the way you think, feel and behave. It affects about 1 in every 100 people. The symptoms may affect how you cope with day to day life.

Learn more Schizophrenia advice and information

Practical suport line

The Rethink Mental Illness advice and information service offers practical help on a wide range of topics such as The Mental Health Act, community care and carers rights. We also offer general information on living with mental illness, medication and care.

Find out more Practical suport line

Lived experience network

If you live with a mental illness yourself or care for someone who does, we’re asking you to sign up to share your experiences. Especially regarding the challenges you may be facing as a result of severe mental illness or caring for a loved one.

Find out more Lived experience network