Identification of the disease Schizophrenia is a chronic mental condition or disorder with a severe effect on the human mind, especially by affecting the patient’s thinking system (Barry, Gaughan & Hunter, 2012). In particular, the condition affects a person’s ability to distinguish between reality and unreality. Schizophrenic patients are unable to think properly and clearly, manage emotions, or function normally (Barry, Gaughan & Hunter, 2012). Moreover, the condition affects personal relations with others, often causing conflicts. Symptoms of schizophrenia The primary and obvious type of impairment caused by the condition involves the disruption of the human processes of thinking. Schizophrenic people lose a lot of their ability to evaluate their surroundings and relate with others in a rational manner (Picchioni & Murray, 2011). They tend to believe in things that are unreal or untrue and reject reality. Hallucinations and delusions are common symptoms in schizophrenic patients (Van Os & Kapur, 2012). Both symptoms are disturbing to the patient and their families because they seem bizarre to the normal people, including those who are consistent with the abnormal perceptions and beliefs associated with the condition (Picchioni & Murray, 2011). Noteworthy, hallucinations and delusions are reflections of the distortions of the human mind, which in turn causes distortions of the person’s perceptions and interpretations of reality (Barry, Gaughan & Hunter, 2012). Individuals tend to develop a fear of anything, including the fear of unknown people, objects, or events. For example, a schizophrenic individual may purchase and use multiple locks due to the fear of theft or harmful individuals, yet the reality is that such fear is unfounded. However, to the patient, the actions are justified because hallucinations occur in the form of heard voices and bizarre and persecutory delusions (Barry, Gaughan & Hunter, 2012). As the condition persists, the individual develops disorganized thinking and speech, which includes loosely connected words that fail to make meaning. Eventually, the disease causes social withdrawal, loss of motivation, poor judgment, and untidiness (Picchioni & Murray, 2011). Some individuals also develop paranoia, inability to work, loss of long-term memory and attention, poor functioning, and slow speed of mental processing. Conditions such as major depressions, anxiety disorders, and substance use disorders are normally associated with schizophrenia. More than 50% of the patients have are likely to have some of these conditions (Barry, Gaughan & Hunter, 2012). Prevalence Currently, about 24 million people in the world are schizophrenic, but only about 1% of the patients have disabilities due to the disease (Barry, Gaughan & Hunter, 2012). The disease causes more than 20,000 deaths per annum (Ayuso-Mateos, 2013). The occurrence is relatively uniform around the world, with Africa, Asia and Japan has about 340, 540, and 378 male patients per 1000,000 people respectively and 370 and 520 female sufferers per 100,000 people in Africa and Europe respectively (Barry, Gaughan & Hunter, 2012). The peak period for the onset of the condition occurs around late adolescence and early adulthood, which explains why the brain functioning is damaged during its critical period of development. About 40% male and 25% female patients develop the disease before reaching the age of 19 (Kumra, Shaw, Merka, N