23 July - Health - Schizophrenia is treatable

In today's show, we were joined by Dr John Stanley Parker - Specialist in Psychiatry at Lentegeur Hospital and senior lecturer for UCT’s Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health. We were talking about Schizophrenia. July 26^th marks National Schizophrenia Day and it is reported that approximately 1% - 2% of the world's population has the condition with onset usually diagnosed in people between the ages of 15 and 30 and, although not curable, it’s treatable. Schizophrenia is a severe, lifelong brain disorder. People who have it may hear voices, see things that aren't there or believe that others are reading or controlling their minds. In men, symptoms usually start in the late teens and early 20s. They include hallucinations, or seeing things, and delusions such as hearing voices. For women, they start in the mid-20s to early 30s. Other symptoms include: Unusual thoughts or perceptions, Disorders of movement, Difficulty speaking and expressing emotion,Problems with attention, memory and organization. According to Schizophrenia.com, There is currently no physical or lab test that can absolutely diagnose schizophrenia - a psychiatrist usually comes to the diagnosis based on clinical symptoms. For more information visit your nearest psychiatric hospital or www.schizophrenia.com