Get to know schizophrenia a little better with these 13 interesting facts

1 - Men and women of any age can develop schizophrenia. However, it is more common for males to present the condition between 16 and 20 years old, and females between 25 and 30 years old.

2 - In the case of women, experts believe that the later onset of schizophrenia is related to the increase in estrogen and progesterone levels.

Not all patients suffer from schizophrenia in the same way - which means that each individual has completely unique experiences with the condition.

4 - However, although it is common for schizophrenics to hallucinate, hearing is the most common.

5 - There is no record in the medical literature about a person who was born blind and developed schizophrenia.

6 - There is treatment for schizophrenia, and about 50% of patients who follow the therapies correctly realize significant improvements in their condition over the years.

7 - Still on treatment, surveys revealed that 25% of people diagnosed with the condition can recover completely from the disease.

8 - Although schizophrenics are portrayed as violent individuals in movies and series, in real life, patients exhibit unpredictable but rarely aggressive behavior.

Many people believe that schizophrenics have multiple personalities - which is not necessarily true. This second problem is usually caused by a different condition called Dissociative Identity Disorder.

10 - Migrating to another country can lead to increases in dopamine levels in the brain - and this makes immigrants at greater risk of developing schizophrenia.

11 - Individuals suffering from schizophrenia have great difficulty in maintaining personal relationships and, as a result, serious problems in making friends or finding jobs.

12 - Those diagnosed with the condition have problems maintaining attention and remembering things - which often leads to conflicts with individuals in their personal lives.

13 - Because of the condition-related complications, it is very common for schizophrenics to become depressed and to behave suicidal. Unfortunately, it is estimated that 10% of people diagnosed with the condition take their lives.