Schizophrenia
What is Schizophrenia?
Schizophrenia is a persistent and often disabling mental
illness aﬀecting how a person thinks, feels, and behaves.
While the exact cause is unknown, research indicates a
combination of genetics, psychosocial stressors, andenvironment contribute to the development of schizophrenia
and individual variation of symptoms.1

Symptoms
It is characterized by three main symptom domains:1

Positive

Hallucinations anddelusions

NegativeDiﬃculty enjoying life andsocial withdrawal from others

Cognitive impairment

Deﬁcits in memory, concentration,and decision making

These symptoms can aﬀect all areas of people’s lives and is one of the
top 15 leading causes of disability worldwide.2 The estimated potential life
lost is almost 30 years compared with the general population,
which is largely attributed to comorbidities such as heart disease, diabetes,
and liver disease, which often remain undetected and undertreated.3

Prevalence
Schizophrenia aﬀects approximately 24 million people
worldwide, including 2.8 million in the United States.1,4

Signs and symptoms of schizophrenia usually ﬁrst appear in teenage years
or early adulthood.5 As such, people living with schizophrenia often
struggle to maintain employment, live independently, and manage
relationships.6,7 This can have a detrimental impact, with an increased
likelihood of homelessness, poverty, and inadequate self-care.1

Treatment
While there is no cure, there are treatments available that focus on
managing schizophrenia symptoms and navigating challenges related to
day-to-day functioning, such as medications and psychosocial support.

30-60%~75% of patients discontinue treatmentin the ﬁrst 18 months due to many
failing to ﬁnd an eﬀective
and/or tolerable treatment.8of patients with schizophrenia
experience a partial or inadequate
improvement or unacceptableside eﬀects during therapy.9

Although many people with schizophrenia have diﬃculty ﬁnding atolerable and eﬀective treatment, with the help of a dedicated care team,
it is possible for people with schizophrenia to lead full lives.

Bristol Myers Squibb is committed to identifying and pursuing potential newtreatment options with the goal of delivering life-changing medicines
for patients with schizophrenia and other neuropsychiatric conditions.

1. Schizophrenia. World Health Organization. January 10, 2022. Accessed April 19, 2024. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/schizophrenia
2. Vos T, Abajobir AA, Abate KH, et al. Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 328 diseases and injuries for 195 countries, 1990-2016: a systematic analysis for theGlobal Burden of Disease Study 2016. Lancet. 2017 Sep 16;390(10100):1211-1259. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(17)32154-2
3. Schizophrenia. National Institute of Mental Health. Accessed April 19, 2024. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/schizophrenia#part_2544
4. Schizophrenia Fact Sheet. Treatment Advocacy Center. Accessed April 19, 2024. https://www.treatmentadvocacycenter.org/reports_publications/schizophrenia-fact-sheet
5. What is Schizophrenia? American Psychiatric Association. March 2024. Accessed April 19, 2024. https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/schizophrenia/what-is-schizophrenia
6. Duman ZC, Tuncer GZ, Sari, A, et al. Views of Individuals Diagnosed with Schizophrenia on Working Life: A Qualitative Study. Journal of Psychiatric Nursing. 2021;12(4):341-349. Accessed April 19, 2024.
doi:10.14744/phd.2021.80947
7. Sahu KK, Intervening Negative Impact of Stigma on Employability of a Person with Schizophrenia Through Social Case Work. J. Psychosoc. Rehabil. Ment. Health. 2015;2(6):87-95. doi:10.1007/s40737-015-0029-2
8. Lieberman JA, Stroup TS, McEvoy JP, et al. Eﬀectiveness of Antipsychotic Drugs in Patients with Chronic Schizophrenia. N Eng J Med. 2005;353(12):1209-1223. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa051688
9. Patel KR, Cherian J, Gohill K, et al. Schizophrenia: overview and treatment options. P T. 2014;39(9):638-645. Accessed April 19, 2024. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4159061

KAR-0350 6/24