Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe, and disabling brain disorder that has been recognized throughout recorded history. It affects about 1 percent of Americans.

People with schizophrenia may hear voices other people don't hear or they may believe that others are reading their minds, controlling their thoughts, or plotting to harm them. These experiences are terrifying and can cause fearfulness, withdrawal, or extreme agitation. People with schizophrenia may not make sense when they talk, may sit for hours without moving or talking much, or may seem perfectly fine until they talk about what they are really thinking. Because many people with schizophrenia have difficulty holding a job or caring for themselves, the burden on their families and society is significant as well


Available treatments can relieve many of the disorder's symptoms, but most people who have schizophrenia must cope with some residual symptoms as long as they live. Nevertheless, this is a time of hope for people with schizophrenia and their families. Many people with the disorder now lead rewarding and meaningful lives in their communities. Researchers are developing more effective medications and using new research tools to understand the causes of schizophrenia and to find ways to prevent and treat it.

This brochure presents information on the symptoms of schizophrenia, when the symptoms appear, how the disease develops, current treatments, support for patients and their loved ones, and new directions in research.






Psychotic symptoms (such as hallucinations and delusions) usually emerge in men in their late teens and early 20s and in women in their mid-20s to early 30s. They seldom occur after age 45 and only rarely before puberty, although cases of schizophrenia in children as young as 5 have been reported. In adolescents, the first signs can include a change of friends, a drop in grades, sleep problems, and irritability. Because many normal adolescents exhibit these behaviors as well, a diagnosis can be difficult to make at this stage. In young people who go on to develop the disease, this is called the "prodromal" period.

Research has shown that schizophrenia affects men and women equally and occurs at similar rates in all ethnic groups around the world.

Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (abbreviated MS, also known as disseminated sclerosis or encephalomyelitis disseminata) is an autoimmune condition in which the immune system attacks the central nervous system, leading to demyelination. Disease onset usually occurs in young adults, and it is more common in women. It has a prevalence that ranges between 2 and 150 per 100,000. MS was first described in 1868 by Jean-Martin Charcot.

MS affects the ability of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord to communicate with each other. Nerve cells communicate by sending electrical signals called action potentials down long fibers called axons, which are wrapped in an insulating substance called myelin. In MS, the body's own immune system attacks and damages the myelin. When myelin is lost, the axons can no longer effectively conduct signals. The name multiple sclerosis refers to scars (scleroses – better known as plaques or lesions) in the white matter of the brain and spinal cord, which is mainly composed of myelin.Although much is known about the mechanisms involved in the disease process, the cause remains unknown. Theories include genetics or infections. Different environmental risk factors have also been found.









Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease that affects the central nervous system. the CNS which consist of the brain spinal cord optic nerves everything we do whether it's taking a step to solving a problem or simply breathing relies on the proper functioning of the CNS.To understand how MS may impact the CNS we must explore the disease at the cellular level .In the brain millions of nerve cells called neurons continually send and receive signals, each signal is a minute but necessary part of the intricate CNS orchestrations that culminate in the actions, sensations, thoughts and emotions that comprised the human experience.Normally the path over which a nerve signal travels is protected by a type of insulation called the myelin sheath,this insulation is essential for nerve signals to reach their target.In MS the myelin sheath is eroded and the underlying wire like nerve fiber is also damaged, this leads to a breakdown in the ability of the nerve cells transmit signals. it is believed that the loss of myelin is the result of mistaken attack of immune cells.Immune cells protect the body against foreign substances such as bacteria and viruses .But in MS something goes awry.Immune cells infiltrate the brain and spinal cord seek and attack.As ongoing inflammation and tissue damage occurs nerve signals are disrupted. this causes unpredictable symptoms that can range from numbness or tingling to blindness and paralysis.These losses may be temporary or permanent