What are my chances of developing schizophrenia?
A. There is no way of knowing exactly who will get schizophrenia. However, about 1 in 100 people worldwide have the illness. Since schizophrenia tends to run in families, your chances may be higher if someone in your family has the disease. For example, it is estimated that: · If one of your parents or a brother or sister is ill, the risk factor is about 10% · If both your parents are ill, your chances are about 40% · If a nonidentical twin is ill, your chances are 10-15% · If an identical twin is ill, your chances are 35-50%· If you are a grandchild, niece, nephew, aunt or uncle of someone who is ill, your chances are about 3%. Schizophrenia does not discriminate between the sexes. Young men and women are equally at risk for developing the illness.
There is no way of knowing exactly who will get schizophrenia. However, about 1 in 100 people worldwide will develop the illness. Since schizophrenia tends to run in families, your chances may be higher if someone in your family has the disease. For example, it is estimated that: If one of your parents or a brother or sister is ill, the risk factor is about 10% If both your parents are ill, your chances are about 40% If a non-identical twin is ill, your chances are 10-15% If an identical twin is ill, your chances are 35-50% If you are a grandchild, niece, nephew, aunt or uncle of someone who is ill, your chances are about 3%. Schizophrenia does not discriminate between the sexes. Young men and women are equally at risk for developing the illness. Can children develop schizophrenia? Yes. In rare instances, children as young as five have been diagnosed with the illness. They are often described as being different from other children from an early age.
