We asked Dr. Andrea Waddell, Medical Director for Clinical Informatics & Quality Standards and the Regional Programs at Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care, some of the internet's most searched questions about schizophrenia.
What is schizophrenia?
Schizophrenia is a mental illness. It’s associated with psychosis, so that can include symptoms like hallucinations or delusions, which are fixed false beliefs. There’s also changes in behavior that we see during that time.
At what age is schizophrenia typically diagnosed?
So, schizophrenia occurs sort of in two peaks. The most common age is actually in the early 20s, and then there’s a second peak for women around the age of 40.
Does schizophrenia only affect men?
No, it affects both men and women equally. We do sometimes hear about men having it more because of some differences in the symptoms between men and women.
Are there different types of schizophrenia?
We did used to have different classifications for schizophrenia, but in the past 10 years we moved to a different approach. So, we look at different domains of symptoms. So, people may have different kinds of symptoms, but it’s all considered schizophrenia.
Is schizophrenia curable?
Once you’re diagnosed with schizophrenia, you always have schizophrenia. It’s not curable, but it’s very treatable, so that most people with medication actually have most of their symptoms go away.
Is schizophrenia rare?
About 1% of the population of Canada would have schizophrenia, so it’s not that common, but it does mean if you knew 100 people that one of them would likely have schizophrenia over their lifetime.
Can someone with schizophrenia live a full life?
Oh, definitely. Yes, schizophrenia responds very well to treatment, and when the symptoms are treated, the person can live a life just like you or I in terms of functioning, working, having a family, having friends.
Is schizophrenia caused by bad parenting?
It sounds like a funny question, but there did used to be a term called the schizophrenogenic mother, and it was actually used in the 1960s to I suggest that there was a certain kind of parenting that led to schizophrenia. That’s actually not true, and it’s been thoroughly debunked. It has nothing to do with the way that your parents raised you.
This video is part of our ongoing mental health education content, designed to provide clear, evidence-informed information and help build understanding around mental illness.
About Dr. Waddell
Dr. Waddell is the Medical Director for Clinical Informatics & Quality Standards and the Regional Programs at Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care and the Associate Director of Adult Psychiatry and Health Systems at the Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto. She completed her medical training in 2003 and specialty training in Psychiatry both at the University of Toronto. She completed a Master’s degree at OISE in Theory & Policy Studies with a focus on Health Professions Education. After almost a decade leading the inpatient unit at the University Health Network, she completed advanced training in Quality Improvement and moved to CAMH to practice, teach and support quality improvement and patient safety work in mental health before moving to Waypoint in 2022.