Schizophrenia, schizotypal and delusional disorders

Schizophrenia is a severe, lifelong brain disorder. People who have it may hear voices, see things that aren't there or believe that others are reading or controlling their minds. In men, symptoms usually start in the late teens and early 20s. They include hallucinations, or seeing things, and delusions such as hearing voices. For women, they start in the mid-20s to early 30s. Other symptoms include:

Schizophrenia, a devastating mental illness that affects 1 percent of adults, or about 2.5 million in the United States, usually begins in the late teens or 20s and is marked by psychotic delusions as well as social withdrawal and cognitive impairment.

Contrary to public perception, schizophrenia is not split personality or multiple personality. The vast majority of people with schizophrenia are not violent and do not pose a danger to others. Schizophrenia is not caused by childhood experiences, poor parenting or lack of willpower, nor are the symptoms identical for each person.

Schizophrenia is a severe, lifelong brain disorder. People who have it may hear voices, see things that aren't there or believe that others are reading or controlling their minds. In men, symptoms usually start in the late teens and early 20s. They include hallucinations, or seeing things, and delusions such as hearing voices. For women, they start in the mid-20s to early 30s. Other symptoms include

Anti-Stigma: Do You Know the Facts?

Stigma is not just a matter of using the wrong word or action. Stigma is about disrespect. It is the use of negative labels to identify a person living with mental illness. Stigma is a barrier. Fear of stigma, and the resulting discrimination, discourages individuals and their families from getting the help they need. An estimated 22 to 23 percent of the U.S. population experience a mental disorder in any given year, but almost half of these individuals do not seek treatment (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2002; U.S. Surgeon General, 2001).

Some have suggested that Mozart suffered from Tourette's Syndrome, characterized by verbal and/or motor "tic" outbursts.

The Mozart-had-Tourette's camp may be right, according to a study led by Melvin Lyon, research professor of biological sciences in USC College. Lyon's team sifted through sonatas by Mozart and four other composers for the musical versions of "T-patterns": highly unlikely, repeating combinations of specific notes separated by a constant time interval.