Schizophrenia affects some 1% of adults during
their lifetime and can be a very serious illness -
about 10% of patients die an unnatural death,
usually suicide. In the UK some 210,000 people
(worldwide of the order of 50 million) suffer
from the disease. Families, friends, and others
are of course affected indirectly. Today the
estimated cost of treating schizophrenia is 2.5%
of total healthcare costs in Western countries –
for the NHS 2008-9 this amounts to some
£2.4 billion; there are additional contributions
from the private sector and other agencies
such as the Home Office.
Schizophrenia is a chronic disorder, typically
arising in early adulthood and progressing
throughout the rest of the individual’s life. It is
slightly more common in males than females,
but usually occurs earlier and is more serious in
males. Symptoms are protean, but are generally
characterised by three groups:
• ‘Positive’: delusions, hallucinations,
disorganised behaviour, impaired
communication.
• ‘Negative’: social withdrawal, poverty of
thought and speech, blunted affect,
lack of drive.
• Cognitive dysfunction: affecting insight,
memory, reasoning, etc.
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