Schizophrenia is a common mental disorder striking one percent or one in one hundred people worldwide. It knows no boundaries affecting people of all races, of all cultures, and of all social classes. The emergence of schizophrenia is more common between late adolescence or early adulthood. Men seem to develop the disease at a younger age then women. The disease is very complex and controversial, which explains the difficulty to produce a solid definition. One common misbelieve is that people with schizophrenia have multiple personalities. Yet, a separate term, dissociative personality disorder, has been set aside for this condition. It is better to think of a person with the disorder as being split from reality. Schizophrenic disorders are usually characterized in general by fundamental and characteristic distortions of thinking and perception, and by inappropriate or blunted affect.(Campbell) Some people believe that schizophrenia is a group of similar disorders, while others believe that it is one disorder with many different symptoms and types.(Sarason).
The disturbance of schizophrenia involves the most basic functions that give the normal person a feeling of individuality, uniqueness, and self-direction. The most intimate thoughts, feelings, and acts are often felt to be known or shared by others. The diseased person may see him or herself as the pivot of all that happens. A period of depression sometimes precedes the first emergence of schizophrenia. Substance abuse is also quite common before the first psychotic break. A psychotic break is characterized by a lot of reality distortion a d disorganization or otherwise called positive symptoms. These positive symptoms include things like hallucinations, delusions, disorganized speech and thought, altered sense of self and often bizarre behavior. During a psychotic episode, people behave out of character and can be a danger to society as well as themselves.