At least one third of people with schizophrenia experiences complete remission of symptoms (1). Some people with schizophrenia experience worsening and remission of symptoms periodically throughout their lives, others a gradual worsening of symptoms over time.
Schizophrenia Recovery
Some people do recover “fully” from schizophrenia. Ten years after diagnosis: 50% of people with schizophrenia recover or improve to the point they can work and live on their own. 25% are better but need help from a strong support network to get by.
Schizophrenia treatment includes medication, therapy, social and family support, and the use of social services. Treatment must be ongoing, as this is a chronic illness without a cure. When schizophrenia is treated and managed over the long-term, most people can live normal, productive, and fulfilling lives.
People recover from schizophrenia
Over the course of months or years, about 20 to 25 percent of people with schizophrenia recover completely from the illness – all their psychotic symptoms disappear and they return to their previous level of functioning.
Chances for recovery are improved if the disease comes on suddenly, as opposed to when it comes on slowly. The older one is at the onset of schizophrenia, the better. If schizophrenia is treated quickly and consistently (see above) with good response to treatment, the prognosis is usually very good.
Most people with schizophrenia make a recovery, although many will experience the occasional return of symptoms (relapses). Support and treatment can help you to manage your condition and the impact it has on your life.
People with schizophrenia generally live about 15 to 20 years less than those without the condition. Schizophrenia is a complex disease. There are many ways it can result in serious complications.
Schizophrenia is a chronic disorder that may wax and wane in severity, but it does not typically worsen with age. 1 For some people, the symptoms of schizophrenia will improve over time while for others the symptoms will stay the same or get worse.
Schizophrenia has been described as the “worst disease” to afflict mankind. It causes psychosis, which is an abnormal state of mind marked by hyperarousal, overactivation of brain circuits, and emotional distress. An untreated episode of psychosis can result in structural brain damage due to neurotoxicity.
Positive symptoms tend to respond better to antipsychotic medication than negative symptoms, which are more persistent. For this reason, patients with fewer negative symptoms tend to have a better prognosis and medication is more effective at helping them to live normal lives.
People with schizophrenia often die at a considerably younger age than the rest of the population. Reasons for this include: late diagnosis and poor treatment of physical illnesses, metabolic side effects of antipsychotic medication, unhealthy lifestyle and high risk of suicide (reviewed by Laursen et al, 2014).
Currently, there is no cure for schizophrenia, but the illness can be successfully treated and managed. The key is to have a strong support system in place and get the right treatment and self-help for your needs.
Newman adds that with support, parents with schizophrenia can provide for their children by working, as well as teaching and loving them just like parents without mental health conditions.
John Nash Jr.
Then paranoia, delusions, and other symptoms of schizophrenia took hold. Nash's descent into mental illness lasted for 20 years. But he slowly improved and returned to teach at Princeton University. In 1994, he won the Nobel Prize in Economics.
Moderate quality evidence finds the overall rate of remission is around 36% in people with schizophrenia. In people with first-episode psychosis, the rate is around 58% by 5.5 years.
The new study found that, when it comes to grey matter volume, this repairing effect over time actually makes the brains of schizophrenic patients grow to be more like the brains of people without the disease – which could help us to come up with new ways to develop treatments for the condition.
In fact, many medical experts today believe there is potential for all individuals to recover from psychosis, to some extent. Experiencing psychosis may feel like a nightmare, but being told your life is over after having your first episode is just as scary.
The Brain In Schizophrenia
The fluid-filled spaces (the ventricles) in the interior of the temporal lobes are often enlarged and the temporal lobe tissue diminished. The greater the observed changes the greater the severity of the person's thought disorder and his or her auditory hallucinations.
The peak age of onset of schizophrenia is 15 – 25 years in men and 20 – 30 years in women. It is often preceded by a prodromal phase of vague symptoms, some odd behaviours and a decline in functioning at school or work and interpersonally.
Individuals with schizophrenia showed decline in IQ as well as a range of different mental functions, particularly those tapping processing speed, learning, executive functioning, and motor functioning.
Drug and alcohol use
If you already have schizophrenia, research shows that using recreational drugs may worsen your symptoms. Some studies suggest that people who use high-potency cannabis ('skunk') when in recovery are more likely to have a relapse too.
Cognitive decline can eventually lead to dementia. A 2018 study suggests that people with schizophrenia have a nearly twofold increased risk of dementia after adjusting for other standard risk factors.
Both first-generation and second-generation antipsychotics cause adverse effects that are known to increase the risk of dying from cardiac, respiratory, and endocrine diseases. Psychiatric users of antipsychotics die at high rates from these somatic illnesses.
Schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder in which people interpret reality abnormally. Schizophrenia may result in some combination of hallucinations, delusions, and extremely disordered thinking and behavior that impairs daily functioning, and can be disabling. People with schizophrenia require lifelong treatment.
Schizophrenia treatment includes therapy and medications. These treatments can reduce your symptoms and may prevent symptoms from recurring. Earlier detection can slow the progression of schizophrenia and prevent psychosis episodes.