Schizophrenia is characterized by profound disruption in thinking and feelings, affecting language, thought, perception, and sense of self. It often includes psychotic experiences such as hearing voices or holding fixed abnormal beliefs, known as delusions. Around 7 million adults in the Americas suffer from schizophrenia at some point in their lives. The helplessness of the past has been replaced by considerable hope since conditions that once were treated in closed institutions have been giving room to interventions at home, in community services, general hospitals and hostels. Psychosocial rehabilitation has made considerable strides and has enabled patients to find a place in the workforce, their families and communities.
Early treatment is essential for better recovery.
Depressed mood and loss of interest and pleasure characterize these disorders. Their severity, the symptoms that often accompany the depressed mood and the duration of the disorders differentiate them from normal mood changes that are part of life. The causes of these disorders vary. Psychosocial factors influence the onset and persistence of depressive episodes as do a number of biological factors. One of every seven adults in the USA have a mood disorder during any given year.