Posted by yxibow on May 1, 2008, at 23:59:38
In reply to Re: TRUTH ABOUT PSYCHOSIS AND SCHIZOPHRENIA, posted by Jeroen on May 1, 2008, at 22:23:41
No need for nasty banter about someone who is suffering.
Anyhow, its not true that schizophrenia starts at 14 or 18 -- around 20-30 is just an average age for a psychotic break. People predisposed to unfortunately have some form of schizophrenic disorder can have a psychotic break at any point in their lifetime, estimated around 1% of the population. It is among the top 5 illnesses that beset the population and the cost to the medical system in the US.
Psychotic breaks can occur later in life though, and those fortunate enough to have such a state (nobody is obviously blessed but we all care for those who are afflicted) are far more likely to recover and achieve high functionality quicker.
But there are all sorts of levels of functionality, including those of John Nash (who eventually decided to live with the illness and not take medication, in later life he recovered more which is typical) and the partially misdiagnosed (more manic really) Mark Vonnegut, MD (son of Kurt Vonnegut).
poster:yxibow
thread:826646
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080430/msgs/826728.html