National Schizophrenia Awareness Day

One in 100 people will experience schizophrenia. In fact, it was a diagnosis of schizophrenia that led to the launch of our charity, which was founded 50 years ago. Much has improved since then, but while attitudes to mental health have changed, the stigma surrounding schizophrenia remains stubbornly high. Some of this is rooted in a lack of understanding of the condition, so we want to tackle this by setting out the signs, symptoms, and outlook for people affected. And the good news is that while people with lived experience tell us about some of the struggles they face, there is also much to celebrate and feel positive about.

What is schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is a very complex condition that can affect how a person thinks, feels, and experiences the world around them. Schizophrenia doesn't mean split personality - the term actually means schizo (to split) and phrene (the mind). While schizophrenia is an official diagnosis, people can often experience very different symptoms. The most common symptoms can include:

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

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

Find out more about schizophrenia by visiting our advice and information pages.

Can people recover?

When we talk about mental illness, we use the term recovery to 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 often be a combination of medication, talking therapies (such as CBT or actively engaging with their 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.