- No one born blind has ever developed Schizophrenia.
- Auditory hallucinations seem to be culturally shaped. In the U.S., AH of voices are often described as harsh and threatening, while those heard by individuals with the same diagnosis in Africa and India report the voices are more benign and playful.
- The Soviet Union created a fake mental disorder called “Sluggish Schizophrenia” in the 1970s. It allowed anyone who criticized the leadership to be arrested.
- Schizophrenia come from the Greek language and roughly translated means “split mind.” This does not imply an individual has a split personality, but rather a split from reality.
- Schizophrenia is mentioned in literature dating as far back as the second millennium BC in the Egyptian text called The Book of Hearts.
- Addiction to nicotine is the most common form of substance abuse in people diagnosed with Schizophrenia.
- The cause of Schizophrenia is unknown. It is thought to be a combination of genetics, brain biology (including chemistry and structure) and environment.
- Many individuals diagnosed with Schizophrenia experience anosognosia. This means “without knowledge” and refers to the fact that the person is unable to identify that they have a mental disorder. They often do not realize they have developed symptoms and may deny experiencing the symptoms.
- Auditory hallucinations are more common than visual hallucinations.
- When experiencing active psychosis, individuals diagnosed with Schizophrenia are often mistaken as being under the influence of a substance.
Crystal Henson, Psy.D.
WKPIC Instructor