when comparing the course and prognosis of schizophrenia in men with the same in women:

by Donald Lindgren 3 min read

Schizophrenia in men tends to develop between the ages of 15-20 whereas for women, schizophrenia tends to develop between 20-25 years of age. Moreover, not only does schizophrenia in men occur earlier, men are often hit harder by the disease.

Full Answer

What is the prognosis of schizophrenia in males and females?

Apr 09, 2022 · Schizophrenia in men and women has the same diagnostic criteria ( DSM schizophrenia criteria ), but differences are known between the genders. Schizophrenia in men tends to develop between the ages of 15-20 whereas for women, schizophrenia tends to develop between 20-25 years of age.

Are there gender differences in schizophrenia?

Although schizophrenia affects men and women with equal frequency, the illness is expressed differently between the sexes. Women with schizophrenia tend to have better premorbid functioning, a later age at onset, a distinct symptom profile and better course of illness, and different structural brain abnormalities and cognitive deficits.

How does the incidence of schizophrenia vary by sex?

Apr 08, 2012 · 2. Prevalence and Incidence of Schizophrenia. The existence of gender differences in the incidence of schizophrenia has been subject to debate. Traditionally, it was accepted that the incidence and prevalence of schizophrenia was the same in men and women []; however, recent studies suggest gender differences in the incidence of the illness.Lewine et al. [] were …

Is schizophrenia more common in men?

The prognosis of schizophrenia is varied at the individual level. In general it has great human and economics costs. It results in a decreased life expectancy of 12–15 years primarily due to its association with obesity, little exercise, and smoking, while an increased rate of suicide plays a lesser role. These differences in life expectancy increased between the 1970s and 1990s, and …

Do men with schizophrenia have a better prognosis than women?

Chaves et al. [38] found that women were better adapted and presented less disability than men. In a three-year follow-up study of 86 patients who had a first episode of schizophrenia, using the DAS scale, Vázquez-Barquero et al. [39] found that men had a worse prognosis.

Do men and women develop schizophrenia at the same rate?

Results: The incidence of schizophrenia was two to three times higher among males than among females. Even though the use of different diagnostic systems yielded slightly different risk rates, the elevated risk for males remained consistent.

What is the influence of gender on the severity of schizophrenia?

The literature addressing gender differences in people with schizophrenia shows that males, as compared to females, have an earlier age of illness onset—limited to early- and middle-onset schizophrenia—a worse premorbid functioning, a greater severity of negative symptoms, a lower severity of affective symptoms and a ...Dec 22, 2021

How might gender influence the prognosis of someone with this schizophrenia?

Sex differences in symptoms 2, there are sex differences in the symptoms of schizophrenia. For example, men with schizophrenia appear to have more negative symptoms and more severe clinical features than females, particularly in social withdrawal, substance abuse and blunted or incongruent affects than female patients.Nov 16, 2017

When does schizophrenia develop in males?

Although schizophrenia can occur at any age, the average age of onset tends to be in the late teens to the early 20s for men, and the late 20s to early 30s for women. It is uncommon for schizophrenia to be diagnosed in a person younger than 12 or older than 40.

What is the long term prognosis for schizophrenia?

Ten years after diagnosis: 50% of people with schizophrenia are either recovered or improved to the point that they can work and live on their own. 25% are better but need help from a strong support network to get by. 15% are not better.

Is substance abuse more common in men than women?

Substance abuse is more common in men than women with schizophrenia and first-episode psychosis. In terms of the disease course, women have better remission and lower relapse rates. Lastly, there is no evidence of specific gender differences in familial risk and obstetric complications.

Is there gender difference in schizophrenia?

Gender differences have been found in most of the studies done in age of onset in schizophrenia and first-episode psychosis, showing a different profile of onset of illness between women and men. 4. Symptoms. The study of gender differences in symptoms of schizophrenia has been one of the most explored issues.

Does gender affect psychosis?

There is not a clear influence of gender in the symptoms presented in people with schizophrenia and first-episode psychosis. However, the studies that found gender differences describe higher presence of negative and disorganization symptoms in men and higher prevalence of affective symptoms in women. 5.

Is schizophrenia more common in men or women?

Several studies indicate that the incidence of schizophrenia is higher in men. Most of the studies found the age of onset to be earlier in men than in women. Findings on symptoms are less conclusive, with some authors suggesting that men suffer more negative symptoms while women have more affective symptoms.

What are the risk factors for schizophrenia?

The manifestation of schizophrenia is governed by a combination of intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors, which not only produce psychosis as the core syndrome, but also determine the actual disease process, including negative symptoms and social impairment.

What is the core syndrome of schizophrenia?

The core syndrome of the disease construct called schizophrenia—hallucinations, delusions, and thought disorders —occurs in the same form and its lifetime risk shows approximately the same frequency anywhere in the world where these questions have been studied. Underlying the symptom pattern of psychosis is probably one of the rare preformed reaction patterns of the human brain. This seems to be true of the reaction patterns of depression and dementia, too. The underlying causes of psychosis—different types of neurobiological dysfunctioning in the brain—are heterogeneous. Their causal treatment is rarely possible and can only be achieved by treating the underlying pathology provided that it can be identified. The only treatment available for psychosis in schizophrenia is symptomatic therapy. The core pathology in schizophrenia is associated with a variety of aetiological risk factors that lead to the manifestation of the core syndrome and some of its components, such as depression or social impairment.

What is schizophrenia defined as?

Introduction. Schizophrenia, defined as a disorder, is characterised by symptoms that distort or in part block some basic functions of the human mind, such as outer and inner perception and memory.

What is a split mind?

Split personality or dissociative personality disorder today denotes a condition in which the affected person adopts two or more distinct identities that each is unaware of the other.

Can schizophrenia manifest at any age?

If it is true that schizophrenia can manifest at any age, from youth to old age, we should make sure that in all these cases we are really dealing with the same disorder. Certain descriptive differences have emerged in selected population-based epidemiological studies not excluding higher ages of onset, e.g., in that conducted by van Os and colleagues [ 32#N#J. van Os, R. Howard, N. Takei, and R. Murray, “Increasing age is a risk factor for psychosis in the elderly,” Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, vol. 30, no. 4, pp. 161–164, 1995. View at: Publisher Site | Google Scholar#N#See in References#N#]. That study focused on schizophrenia onsets in the Netherlands in the years 1978 to 1992 and in England and Wales from 1976 to 1978. This methodologically sophisticated population-based study demonstrated on the two data sets that even in age ranges 60 to 75 years and older and 60 to 90 years and older there is a considerable quantitative risk of onset of schizophrenia spectrum disorder (Figure 5 ). A symptom-related analysis showed that paranoid delusions and secondary delusions were more frequent in first-onset cases at advanced age than in younger age groups.

Is schizophrenia genetically determined?

Since an early age of onset is to a great extent genetically determined while a very late onset of schizophrenia spectrum disorder shows no clear-cut genetic component, the question arises again whether age of onset and severity of first-episode schizophrenia might generally be associated with a more or less pronounced familial load.

Is schizophrenia a discrete disorder?

The core syndrome of schizophrenia—psychosis—is not a discrete disorder with a unitary cause.

Why are remission rates not always comparable across studies?

Rates are not always comparable across studies because exact definitions of remission and recovery have not been widely established. A "Remission in Schizophrenia Working Group" has proposed standardized remission criteria involving "improvements in core signs and symptoms to the extent that any remaining symptoms are of such low intensity that they no longer interfere significantly with behavior and are below the threshold typically utilized in justifying an initial diagnosis of schizophrenia".

What was John Nash's diagnosis?

John Nash, a US mathematician, began showing signs of paranoid schizophrenia during his college years. Despite having stopped taking his prescribed medication, Nash continued his studies and was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1994. His life was depicted in the 2001 film A Beautiful Mind.

How long does schizophrenia last?

In general it has great human and economics costs. It results in a decreased life expectancy of 12–15 years primarily due to its association with obesity, little exercise, and smoking, while an increased rate of suicide plays a lesser role. These differences in life expectancy ...

Is schizophrenia a disability?

Schizophrenia is a major cause of disability. Approximately three quarters of people with schizophrenia have ongoing disability with relapses. Still some people do recover completely and additional numbers function well in society. Most people with schizophrenia live independently with community support.

What is the prevalence of schizophrenia in adults?

The prevalence of schizophrenia in adults age 65 and older ranges from 0.1–0.5%. Aging is associated with exacerbation of schizophrenia symptoms. Positive symptoms tend to lessen with age, but negative symptoms and cognitive impairments continue to worsen.

Does schizophrenia increase with age?

Continual drug treatment is common for older adults with schizophrenia and the dose may increase with age. There seem to be gender differences regarding the impact of aging on schizophrenia. Men with schizophrenia tend to have more severe symptoms in the initial stage of the disorder, but gradually improve as they age.

What are the factors that contribute to a better prognosis?

Several factors have been associated with a better overall prognosis: Being female, rapid (vs. insidious) onset of symptoms, older age of first episode, predominantly positive (rather than negative) symptoms, presence of mood symptoms, and good pre-illness functioning.

Why is schizophrenia so hard to diagnose?

One is that people with the disorder often don't realize they're ill, so they're unlikely to go to a doctor for help.#N#Another issue is that many of the changes leading up to schizophrenia, called the prodrome, can mirror other normal life changes. For example, a teen who's developing the illness might drop their group of friends and take up with new ones. They may also have trouble sleeping or suddenly start coming home with poor grades.

What are the symptoms of schizophrenia?

People who have it are more likely to have symptoms like delusions and hallucinations. They’re less like to have negative symptoms, disorganized thoughts, impaired learning, or trouble understanding information. Doctors think genetics may be to blame, just as it is with early-onset schizophrenia.

When do men get schizophrenia?

Women tend to get diagnosed in their late 20s to early 30s. People rarely develop schizophrenia before they're 12 or after they're 40.

Can cannabis cause schizophrenia?

Some, like exposure to a virus or malnutrition (according to one theory about causes), might have happened while you were still in your mother's womb. For vulnerable individuals, cannabis use can increase the risk of developing psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia.

What is it called when you stop thinking?

This is called thought withdrawal . Another type of disordered thinking, called thought blocking, happens when someone has a sudden stopping of their flow of thinking and as a consequence they may become silent until a new thought enters their mind. Movement disorders.

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Abstract

  • Recent studies have begun to look at gender differences in schizophrenia and first-episode psychosis in an attempt to explain the heterogeneity of the illness. However, a number of uncertainties remain. This paper tries to summarize the most important findings in gender differences in schizophrenia and first-psychosis episodes. Several studies indicate that the incid…
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Introduction

  • Schizophrenia and first-episode psychosis are disorders with considerable heterogeneity in several of its basic features. There is great variability in clinical presentation, disease course, and response to both pharmacological and psychosocial treatment. Some aspects of this heterogeneity may be gender related and, given the reliability, stability, and validity of its definitio…
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Prevalence and Incidence of Schizophrenia

  • The existence of gender differences in the incidence of schizophrenia has been subject to debate. Traditionally, it was accepted that the incidence and prevalence of schizophrenia was the same in men and women [1 1. R. J. Wyatt, R. C. Alexander, M. F. Egan, and D. G. Kirch, “Schizophrenia, just the facts. What do we know, how well do we know it?” Schizophrenia Research, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. …
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Age of Onset

  • Differences in age of onset are the most replicated finding in studies into gender differences in schizophrenia. [8 1. J. M. Goldstein, M. T. Tsuang, and S. V. Faraone, “Gender and schizophrenia: implications for understanding the heterogeneity of the illness,” Psychiatry Research, vol. 28, no. 3, pp. 243–253, 1989. View at: Google Scholar See in References –10 1. S. Galderisi, P. Bucci, A. U…
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Symptoms

  • The study of gender differences in symptoms of schizophrenia has been one of the most explored issues. However, the results in this area are inconclusive. Several studies have found gender differences in negative symptoms, showing that in males, they were more severe [21 1. D. L. Shtasel, R. E. Gur, F. Gallacher, C. heimberg, and R. C. Gur, “Gender differences in the clinical exp…
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Premorbid Functioning

  • Better premorbid functioning has been associated with a better prognosis for the illness. Gender differences here could, therefore, have a bearing on how the schizophrenia evolves. In general, most studies have found gender differences in premorbid functioning, this being worse in men than in women [21 1. D. L. Shtasel, R. E. Gur, F. Gallacher, C. heimberg, and R. C. Gur, “Gender diff…
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Social Functioning

  • In general, studies that have examined gender differences in social functioning have found better performance in women. Chaves et al. [38 1. A. C. Chaves, M. V. Seeman, J. J. Mari, and A. Maluf, “Schizophrenia: impact of positive symptoms on gender social role,” Schizophrenia Research, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 41–45, 1993. View at: Publisher Site| Google Scholar See in References ] found tha…
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Cognitive Functioning

  • Gender differences in cognitive domains have been another controversial issue. A number of authors have demonstrated that men score worse in attention, language, and executive function than women [50 1. J. M. Goldstein, L. J. Seidman, S. Santangelo, P. H. Knapp, and M. T. Tsuang, “Are schizophrenic men at higher risk for developmental deficits than schizophrenic women? Im…
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Substance Abuse

  • Substance abuse presented a higher prevalence in people with schizophrenia and first-episode psychosis [63 1. D. Wade, S. Harrigan, J. Edwards, P. M. Burgess, G. Whelan, and P. D. McGorry, “Substance misuse in first-episode psychosis: 15-month prospective follow-up study,” British Journal of Psychiatry, vol. 189, pp. 229–234, 2006. View at: Publisher Site| Google Scholar See i…
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The Course of The Illness

  • The disease course for schizophrenia has been reported as following different patterns in males and females. Uggerby et al. [70 1. P. Uggerby, R. E. Nielsen, C. U. Correll, and J. Nielsen, “Characteristics and predictors of long-term institutionalization in patients with schizophrenia,” Schizophrenia Research, vol. 131, no. 1–3, pp. 120–126, 2011. View at: Publisher Site| Google S…
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Abstract

  • The core symptoms of psychosis—delusions, hallucinations, and thought disorders—are not unique to the disorder traditionally called schizophrenia. They occur at the early stages of various brain diseases, too. Psychosis seems to be a preformed pattern of response of the human brain. Most schizophrenia onsets are marked by a prodromal stage extending over several years and p…
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Introduction

  • Schizophrenia, defined as a disorder, is characterised by symptoms that distort or in part block some basic functions of the human mind, such as outer and inner perception and memory. In that respect schizophrenia is a disorder that hampers or distorts reality control during episodes of acute symptomatology and in a few cases also permanently. Mental disorders involving loss of r…
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Materials, Methods, and Results

  • As we set out to throw some light on this murky chapter of schizophrenia research, we first looked for findings and issues that, when replicated and resolved, were promising of providing insights into the fundamental nature of the disorder. A fairly fundamental finding seemed to us to be what Kraepelin [3 1. E. Kraepelin, Psychiatrie, 8. Aufl, Barth, Leipzig, Germany, 1909-1915. Se…
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Conclusions

  • The main factor underlying schizophrenia risk seems to be genetic in nature. But schizophrenia is not a hereditary disorder. The mode of transmission involved is a complex one. The manifestation of schizophrenia is governed by a combination of intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors, which not only produce psychosis as the core syndrome, but also determine the actual disease process, in…
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Data Availability

  • Previously reported data from the ABC Schizophrenia Study and related studies were used to support this study and are available in articles published by Heinz Häfner, as first or coauthor in various psychiatric journals. These prior studies and datasets are cited at relevant places within the text as [5 1. H. Häfner, A. Riecher, K. Maurer, W. Löffler, P. Munk-Jørgensen, and E. Strömgre…
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Acknowledgments

  • The ABC Schizophrenia Study described in the present article was funded by the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG) as part of the Special Research Branch (Sonderforschungsbereich) 258 at the Central Institute of Mental Health from January 1, 1987, to December 30, 1998, and from January 1, 1999, to May 31, 2012, as an independent proj…
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