Alright, so the diagnosis has been made. The average age of onset occurs in the mid-twenties, somewhat earlier for men and later for women although individuals may become ill with schizophrenia as early as childhood or later on in adulthood. Schizophrenia is a complex illness with a number of symptoms that may be associated with the disorder. The one associated with schizophrenia is hearing voices, that is hearing voices that are distinct from one's thoughts. Another typical symptom is delusions.
Delusions are false beliefs or misperceptions of the world.
For example, a person might see an individual on the street and assume that individual's presence on the street has some particular meaning or poses some particular threat. A delusion is a misperception of or misinterpretation of something in the environment. Another typical symptom of schizophrenia is what we call disorganized behavior, for example a person has difficulty in completing a task in a goal directed way. A person with schizophrenia may also have disorganized speech. This refers to speech that isn't logical - it doesn't make sense.