May 6th, 2013

Published by: 1959thEbook

Schizophrenia Statistics
The Schizophrenia Diet
By Schiz Life on January 23rd, 2013

As a schizophrenic, the most important task in order to remain as fully functional as possible is to mitigate symptoms. Managing your symptoms is a multifaceted task, requiring large amounts of discipline in every area of life. And if you begin researching the fact, you will find lots of pop psychology advice, such as Laughter is the best medicine or A strong body makes a strong mind. Well, of course we should laugh and exercise. But today we are going to move beyond these platitudes and get into the specifics of the schizophrenia diet! It has been said, Let food be thy medicine. Regardless of who you are, your lifestyle, your challenges, or your occupation, having a well-balanced diet is a must. But that is a pretty broad statement, because every person is an individual, and a brain with neurochemical imbalances will require a different balance of food intake as opposed to a more well-adjusted brain. As you would suspect, there are dietary modifications that can be adopted in order to adapt to the specific needs of the schizophrenic brain. Let us take a look!

specific hormones that flow through the brain in order to help with the maintenance of neurons, specifically dendrite health. Dendrites are the connectors that attach neurons to one another, between which neurotransmitters flow in the synapse. You can see why this would be important! It is also known that sustained inflated levels of sugars in the body can cause chronic inflammation in the brain. A reduction in sugar and inflammation has a positive correlation with the reduction of depression and an increase in energy, focus and clarity, and happiness. There have been self-reports regarding a ketogenic diet as well, which is a diet that limits the intake of carbohydrates that become sugars during metabolization. Secondary benefits are the reduced risk of diabetes and obesity.

Gluten and Schizophrenia

For as many as four decades now, there has been talk amongst the medical community regarding a connection between gluten and mental illnesses such as schizophrenia. Many people are familiar with gluten and its relation to celiac disease and other food sensitivity problems. Gluten is found in grains, which is unfortunately included in almost any processed meal. However, there are entire sections of grocery stores now devoted to gluten-free products. There is no certainty as to why this is the case, but removing gluten from the diet has coincided with the positive progression of symptoms in a portion of schizophrenics. Causation has not been determined, only correlation, but it is certainly a step to be taken if there is a chance of reducing the severity of symptoms. Secondary benefits of reducing the intake of gluten is an improvement in the digestion process and an enhanced mental clarity.

A Diet for Schizophrenia

The two words schizophrenia and diet are rarely said together. People tend to turn to psychiatric medicines and psychotherapies before going back to the basics of a proper, fit lifestyle. Beyond the guidelines that are recommended for everyone by the United States Department of Agriculture, what information has been gathered through meticulous scientific research that can benefit those dealing with schizophrenia?

Sugar and Schizophrenia

All you have to do is feed a child a bowl of commercial cereal and you will quickly understand the relationship between sugar and schizophrenia and any other mental illness. The child will be bouncing off the walls like a manic lil monster! I know that I am personally very sensitive to sugar and was even before the onset of any symptoms. A study in 2004 showed that the intake of refined sugar above the national average led to less recovery over a two year period in schizophrenics. Eating too much sugar literally meant a worse prognosis for at least two years! That is horrible. Why does this happen? Refined sugar are not refined in the sense that they are better. They are actually simple starches, which inhibit

Omega 3 and Schizophrenia

Omega 3 fatty acids and other essential fatty acids (EFAs) are big time culprits in many peoples dietary issues. The body must have omega 3 in order to produce new cellular membranes. The only problem is that body doesnt produce these compounds itself. These nutrients are found in fish, and for many people who do not live near a coastal region, the price of fish can become outlandish and scarce in the diet. Fortunately there are fish oil supplements that are commonly available at reasonable prices that can help solve this problem. It is not just the average person who is lacking omega 3 and EFAs. There is much documentation regarding the specific lack of omega 3 in the schizophrenic diet and its beneficial
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role in the treatment of symptoms. We mentioned the role of these compounds in the production of cell membranes. Well guess what neurons are? They are cells, and having strong membranes and myelin sheaths on the dendrites means better electrochemical communication. This can lead to a direct reduction of symptoms for the schizophrenic and better functioning for anyone. Secondary benefits to taking essential fatty acids are the benefit to cardiovascular health, lower cholesterol levels, and an increased health of joints.

data collection, the statistics will begin to converge and give us a very clear idea of the true numbers.

Prevalence
It has been reported that the prevalence of any type of schizophrenia, without regards to severity or classification, has been 1.1% of the United States population. The most current U.S. Census Bureau data for 2011 says that there is, rounded, about 312,000,000 people in the United States. 312 million people multiplied by 1.1% prevalence of schizophrenia means that there are roughly 3,432,000 people living with schizophrenia just in the United States alone. there are roughly 3,432,000 people living with schizophrenia just in the United States alone.

B Vitamins and Schizophrenia

Taking a B-complex vitamin is really a must for anyone as it is required for brain function in many ways. The B vitamins, ranging from B1 through B12, are pertinent in the removal of free radicals in the brain. As antioxidants, they perform this task well, even removing homocysteine, an enemy of the neural networks communication abilities. B3 specifically, called Niacin, plays a role in maintaining a stable mood, the reduction of headaches, and other psychological issues. Taking a B-complex, then, especially for a person living with schizophrenia, should show a marked improvement in cognitive functioning. There are also secondary benefits, such as enhanced memory and energy levels. B-vitamins are metabolized along with many other nutrients in the body, so taking a multi-vitamin can serve to replenish all of these that could be lacking.

Healthcare Costs
Among these 3.432 million people, approximately 60% are engaged in a year-round usage of healthcare. An additional 4.3% use other one-time or periodic usages of some form of healthcare. This lets you know that schizophrenia is an on-going struggle and demands constant care and medical attention. Any advancement in treatment or prevention could save millions of people suffering and certainly save society millions of dollars in healthcare costs. It was reported in the J Clin Psychiatry publication in the article entitled The Economic Burden of Schizophrenia in the United States in 2002 that the total direct costs related to schizophrenia, which include medication, outpatient and inpatient treatment, and long-term medical care, reached up to $7.6 billion dollars. The indirect costs were estimated to be as high as $32.4 billion dollars. This means that, in 2002 in the U.S. only, the total healthcare costs related to schizophrenia reached an incredible $40 billion dollars. in 2002 in the U.S. only, the total healthcare costs related to schizophrenia reached an incredible $40 billion dollars.

The Schizophrenia Connection

and

Diet

As explained, the average person not dealing with forms of mental illness can even benefit from following the details of the schizophrenia diet! Just as you should have a daily exercise routine, healthy forms of entertainment, and effective coping methods, you should also have a nutritious and well-balanced diet. This will serve you well in reducing symptoms and maintaining the positive gains you make in your treatment.

Schizophrenia Statistics
Posted on Dec 10, 2012 in Knowledge | 0 comments We all understand the severity of this often-disabling psychological disorder called schizophrenia. We comprehend that it affects cognition, perception, emotion and physical responses, and more. We know how devastating this can be to social, personal, and work relationships. But how many people does this illness actually inflict? Is there a certain demographic that it is more prevalent with, or a specific illness that it finds comorbidity with? Lets take a solid look and find out how schizophrenia is actually intertwined with the worlds population.

Employment
These costs are not offset by the employment of people suffering with schizophrenia, as it is estimated that approximately 10%-15% of schizophrenics are able to sustain full-time employment. This is an incredible burden on the taxpayers in the United States, who are more than happy to contribute to the softening of these debilitating symptoms, but if this number can be reduced than for sure that is a path we should be pursuing in our research. Fortunately this is the case and it is said that there are at least 15 new medications under development at the moment.

More Interesting Data and Stats

We know that most schizophrenics experience the onset of their symptoms in the early stages of adulthood. But what can we say specifically concerning the age of onset in regards to males and females?

Basic Statistics of Schizophrenia

Of course, the authors here at SchizLife.com have not personally collected this information, but have performed a meta-analysis of the available research material already published. Numbers will vary here and there, but the great thing is that as time moves forward and we engage in more

Age of Onset
Males tend to experience the first symptoms of schizophrenia somewhere between the ages of 15 and 25 years old. Females symptoms develop later, ranging from 18 to 30 years of age.
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The average age of onset for schizophrenia accordingly differs between men and women. This age in men is 18, while in women the average age of onset is 25 years old. Schizophrenia is very rarely experienced before the age of 10 and after 40 years of age. See the graph below for a visual representation of the data.

15% of people remain hospitalized or their symptoms simply do not improve. 10% of people perish, with a large percent sadly due to the act of suicide. Schizophrenia can be a very difficult and hopeless disease to struggle with for an entire decade, if not longer. Of those living with schizophrenia, what are their living conditions like? It has been estimated that 6% are homeless, 6% are incarcerated, 6% are hospitalized, and 10% are under care in nursing homes. Those faring a little better live with a family member 25% of the time, and live alone independently 28% of the time. The other 20% have supervision in a group home or supervised housing. It has been reported that about half of all schizophrenics are not receiving treatment for their illness. This can become confusing mathematically, but half of schizophrenics are not receiving treatment, and half of those people are aware of their illness and still refuse treatment. That means 25% of all schizophrenics know that they are dealing with a mental illness and are voluntarily refusing treatment. Why does this happen? These reasons included believing that they could either defeat the illness themselves through mental effort or that the symptoms would desist on their own as time progressed. Others decided that treatment was too costly, were unsure where to find treatment, or felt their insurance would not cover the treatment. Some said that they suspected that treatment would do no good.

World Schizophrenia Statistics

It is said that schizophrenia does not discriminate. It doesnt care who you are, where you live, what your beliefs are or what your culture teaches. The amount of money youve had throughout life or the enjoyments of nutrition and other health concerns have no affect on schizophrenia. With this being said then, how does schizophrenia appear around the world? In all developed countries that are gathering this data, schizophrenia appears in the 10 top causes of disability in every list. The incidence of schizophrenia also appears to vary a little from country to country, but it averages out to about 1.1% of the worlds population, interestingly enough mirroring the prevalence in the United States. Since there are now 7 billion human beings on this planet, that means that there are 77,000,000 schizophrenics worldwide. there are 77,000,000 schizophrenics worldwide.

Risk Statistics
We know that there is a component to schizophrenia that is genetic and hereditary, meaning that it is passed through a familial lineage. The risk for any random person to develop schizophrenia is 1.1% as we have mentioned before, but the risk increases for those who are related to people who have already been diagnosed or are experiencing schizophrenic symptoms. For instance, if your identical twin has developed schizophrenia, you are almost 50% likely do develop it as well. This is because you share the exact same genetics. The environment will dictate the other 50%. If you are a fraternal twin, your chances are reduced drastically but are still high at 17%. The more you are removed from the schizophrenic individual, the more your chances decrease. Refer to the graph below for more information.

Comparison Against Other Illnesses

Schizophrenia seems rare. Many people go their entire lives without encountering or knowing someone dealing with this mental disease. 1.1% incidence seems very small to most people. But schizophrenia is actually twice as prevalent as Alzheimers, which is a far more well-known illness. It is diagnosed five times as much as multiple sclerosis, six times as much as insulin-dependent diabetes, and sixty times as often as muscular dystrophy.

Recovery Data
The data regarding the recovery path for schizophrenics is very hopeful and comforting, although sadly it doesnt always conclude this way for everyone. Longitudinal studies have been performed over 10 years and 30 years. The data doesnt vary that much, so lets just mention the 10-year data. It is said that at the ten year anniversary of a persons schizophrenia diagnosis that a quarter of people will completely recover. Another quarter of people will have improved at such a drastic level that they are living independently for the most part and function fully in society. Another quarter of people improve, but require continual support and extensive work to maintain these improvements.
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Conclusion
While these are just a few of the schizophrenia statistics available, it shows just how big of a deal this is for society as a whole and how big of an ordeal it is for each individual and their family and friends who are coping with this complex disease. Keep in mind how widespread this is as you go throughout your life, and if you find an opportunity to help someone in need whos dealing with any affliction, do your best to offer some small amount of help. If we all do the same, we will all fare much better in this world. <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>