1. Schizophrenia is a rare illness
   • FALSE: Schizophrenia strikes one in one hundred people, worldwide
   
   
   
2. Schizophrenia is a brain disease
   • TRUE: Brain imaging techniques (MRI and PET) show there is a change in structure and functioning of the brain
   
   
   
3. Schizophrenia generally strikes older people
   • FALSE: The age of onset is usually between 15 and 25 years of age
   
   
   
4. More males than females develop schizophrenia
   • FALSE: Males tend to contract the disease at a younger age than females but the illness is distributed equally between the two sexes
   
   
   
5. Schizophrenia is caused by poor parenting
   • FALSE: The cause of schizophrenia is not known. However, it is definitely an organic (physical, biological) disease and is the fault of no one
   
   
   
6. Schizophrenia is caused by street drugs
   • FALSE: Schizophrenia is not caused by street drugs. Some researchers believe, however, that street drugs can precipitate schizophrenia in an individual who has a predisposition to develop the disease.
   
   
   
7. People who have schizophrenia are usually violent and dangerous
   • FALSE: People who have schizophrenia tend to be vulnerable, fragile people. If violent, the violence is most often directed towards themselves in the form of suicide. 40% of those with Schizophrenia will attempt suicide in their lifetime, sadly, 10% will succeed in the act.
   
   
   
8. People with schizophrenia have multiple or split personalities
   • FALSE: People with schizophrenia are split from reality, rather than having a multiple or split personality.
   
   
   
9. Schizophrenia can be successfully treated.
   • TRUE: Although Schizophrenia cannot be cured, the symptoms can be successfully treated.
   
   
   
10. More hospital beds in Canada are occupied by people with schizophrenia than any other medical illness
    • TRUE: Schizophrenia represents 8% of the hospital beds in Canada, more than for any other diagnosis.

MYTH: Schizophrenia is split or multiple personalities
FACT: People with Schizophrenia are split from reality, but they do not have multiple personalities - that is another diagnosis altogether.

MYTH: Schizophrenia is untreatable
FACT: Although there is no cure for Schizophrenia, there are different treatments to help or control some of its symptoms.

MYTH: Schizophrenia can be caused by drugs, persistent poverty or poor parenting
FACT: Schizophrenia is an organic disease of the brain. While the exact causes of Schizophrenia are not known, there are differences in the structure and functioning in the brain of a person with Schizophrenia.

MYTH: The government looks after or takes care of those with Schizophrenia.
FACT: The Alberta government provides assistance in the form of AISH (Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped) to those who apply and are eligible for the assistance. Not everyone receives this assistance and the government does not start handing it out once a diagnosis has been made.

MYTH: People with Schizophrenia are violent and dangerous.
FACT: Those with Schizophrenia tend to be vulnerable, fragile people. If they are violent the violence tends to be turned inward in the form of self harm and/or suicide. If a person with Schizophrenia is showing anti-social behaviours it tends not to be willful, but rather a result of this brain disorder.

MYTH: Schizophrenia generally strikes older people, and more men then women.
FACT: The typical age of onset for this disorder is between the ages of 15 and 25. Males tend to be diagnosed earlier than women, but this illness is distributed equally between the sexes.