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Schizophrenia is a psychotic illness found earliest in 1887 by Emil Kraeplin. It is an illness that affects the way a person can understand and perceive reality. It causes hallucinations and delusions most commonly and often dysfunctional thinking.

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Kraepelin first separated schizophrenia from other forms of psychosis in 1887, but this is not to say that schizophrenia—or ‘dementia praecox’, as he called it—had not existed long before Kraepelin’s day. The oldest available description of an illness closely resembling schizophrenia can be found in the Ebers papyrus, which dates back to the Egypt of 1550 BC. And archaeological discoveries of Stone Age skulls with burr holes drilled into them (presumably to release ‘evil spirits’) have led to speculation that schizophrenia is as old as mankind itself.

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Mental illness includes a wide range of conditions that affect how we feel and think. Most of these are first experienced in the late teens or early twenties, but may only emerge later in life. Like many physical illnesses, mental illnesses are thought to arise from the interaction of genetic vulnerability and stresses in life.

But what is 'mentally healthy'? Good mental health means more than the absence of symptoms. It means the ability to manage life competently and to deal in a reasonably robust way with the challenges it inevitably throws at us from time to time.

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Lane, S, 2015,

"Hobart man held in adult psychiatric ward as a teenager describes life with schizophrenia", ABC News, Accessed: 16/6/17 : http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2015/s4326440.htm

Hahn, B, 2017,

"Two New Studies Offer Alternative Explanation of Impaired Cognitive Function in Schizophrenia", Brain & Behaviour Foundation, Accessed: 16/6/17 : https://www.bbrfoundation.org/content/two-new-studies-offer-alternative-explanation-impaired-cognitive-function-schizophrenia

Burton, N, 2012,
"A Brief History of Schizophrenia", Psychology Today, Accessed: 16/6/17 :  https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/hide-and-seek/201209/brief-history-schizophrenia

2017,
"Mental Health and Mental Illness", Sane Australia, Accessed: 16/6/17 : https://www.sane.org/mental-health-and-illness/81-mental-health-and-mental-illness

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This illness can often cause a fear of being watched, stalked or constantly followed.
"I thought I'd been kidnapped or locked up somewhere 'cause- I was really frightened." - Matthew Davidson upon his entering the mental health facility. His fears caused him to believe that the water and the food they were providing him was poisoned, and so he didn't eat or drink the entire time he was there.

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Schizophrenia comes under a "mental disorder" as it a chronic sickness that can never fully recovered from, just symptoms improved.

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Schizophrenia is a long-term mental disorder that involves a breakdown in the relation between thought, emotion, and behaviour, leading to a faulty perception of what is true, and interferes with the way someone interprets reality.

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Schizophrenia may result in some combination of:
-Hallucinations
-Delusions
-Disordered Thinking

These experiences can often be disabling or debilitating, and impair daily functioning. Affects of these symptoms can include:
-Withdrawal from friends and family
-A drop in performance in school or work
-Trouble sleeping or getting "down time" (More severely known as insomnia)
-Irritability and depressed mood

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Hobart man held in adult psychiatric ward as a teenager describes life with schizophrenia

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When Matthew Davidson was a teenager he was held in isolation on the adult ward of the Tasmanian psychiatric unit. Being held in isolation enhanced his symptoms but he was sent there because Tasmania is the only state in the country without a specialised youth psychiatric ward.

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Matthew Davidson is a particular case explaining the disabling affects of schizophrenia. It follows the story of a young boy who was placed in an adult facility for the treatment of his illness and its debilitating effects: schizophrenia. Upon exiting the facility, ABC News interviewed the young boy to try and gain an understanding of why that course of action was not good for his health and mental well being.
Matthew, during this interview explained what his illness meant for him.

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"Well it's very frightening, it's quite scary, because you're not really sure what's true or not, and the schizophrenia tries to scare you, so you can get lots of scary thoughts and stuff and not be sure whether it's true or not." -Matthew Davidson

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"Well it's very frightening, it's quite scary, because you're not really sure what's true or not, and the schizophrenia tries to scare you, so you can get lots of scary thoughts and stuff and not be sure whether it's true or not." -Matthew Davidson

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A range of other symptoms, some of which are associated with other mental disorders, such as depression and anxiety, are also commonly experienced by people with psychotic illness.

Depressed mood, loss of pleasure and poor concentration are frequently associated with psychotic illness, with one quarter of people currently reporting each of these symptoms (26.4%, 24.5% and 23.4% respectively).

Over the past year, 59.8% of participants reported symptoms of anxiety and just over half (54.5%) reported one or more symptoms of depression.

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One in twelve people (8.1%) had experienced just one episode of psychotic illness, while
the majority (61.5%) had experienced multiple episodes with periods of good or partial recovery in between (29.7% and 31.8% respectively) (Figure 6).

Many people (30.5%) receiving services through the public system have continual chronic illness and one third of these experience marked deterioration over time.

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One in ten males and one in four females with psychotic illness were currently married or in a relationship.

Just over half (56.2%) of females had children of any age, with one quarter (23.6%) having children living with them.

The proportion of males with children was significantly lower at 25.9% and only 5.5% had children living with them.

In 14.7% of cases people were providing care to another person because of a disability, long term illness or due to old age.

This figure was higher for females than males, at 19.6% and 11.3% respectively.

It was also higher for the older age group.

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Three- fifths (59.6%) of people being treated for psychosis in the public system are male.

Almost three- fifths (57.6%) were aged 35-64 years. Just 10.6% were under 25 years.