>>General Info about Schizophrenia
There are billions of nerve cells in the brain. Each nerve cell has branches that transmit and receive messages from other nerve cells. The branches release chemicals, called neurotransmitters, which carry the messages from the end of one nerve branch to the cell body of another. In the brain afflicted with schizophrenia, something goes wrong in this communication system. Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe, and disabling brain disease. Although schizophrenia affects men and women with equal frequency, the disorder often appears earlier in men, usually in the late teens or early twenties.

>>What are the causes of Schizophrenia ?
The cause of schizophrenia is unknown. There are various theories to explain the development of this disorder.
Environment
Possible environmental factors include obstetric complications such as exposure to influenza during pregnancy or nutritional deprivation during pregnancy. It has also been suggested that stress and trauma can lead to the emergence of schizophrenia.
Neurodevelopmental Factors
There is a possibility that individuals who develop schizophrenia in early adult life have suffered some from of cerebral disorder in the development of their brain while in the womb.
Drug Misuse
Some research suggests that substance misuse is related to the development of schizophrenia.
Biochemical Factors
Certain biochemical imbalances in the brain are believed to be involved in the cause of schizophrenia. Neurotransmitters (the substances that allow communication between nerve cells) have long been thought to be involved in the development of schizophrenia

>>What are the symptoms of Schizophrenia ?
They are usually referred as positive and negative symptoms. Positive Symptoms, or "psychotic" symptoms, include delusions and hallucinations because the patient has lost touch with reality in certain important ways. "Positive" as used here does not mean "good." Rather, it refers to having overt symptoms that should not be there. Delusions cause the patient to believe that people are reading their thoughts or plotting against them, that others are secretly monitoring and threatening them, or that they can control other people’s minds. Hallucinations cause people to hear or see things that are not there. Disorganized Symptoms include confused thinking and speech, and behavior that does not make sense. For example, people with schizophrenia sometimes have trouble communicating in coherent sentences or carrying on conversations with others; move more slowly, repeat rhythmic gestures or make movements such as walking in circles or pacing; and have difficulty making sense of everyday sights, sounds and feelings. Negative Symptoms include emotional flatness or lack of expression, an inability to start and follow through with activities, speech that is brief and lacks content, and a lack of pleasure or interest in life. "Negative" does not, therefore, refer to a person’s attitude, but to a lack of certain characteristics.

>>How can we diagnose Schizophrenia ?
It is important to rule out other illnesses, as sometimes people suffer severe mental symptoms or even psychosis due to undetected underlying medical conditions. A medical history should be taken and a physical examination and laboratory tests should be done to rule out other possible causes of the symptoms before concluding that a person has schizophrenia. A detailed family history.

>>How can Schizophrenia be treated?
People who experience acute symptoms of schizophrenia may require intensive treatment, sometimes including hospitalization. Hospitalization is necessary to treat severe delusions or hallucinations, serious suicidal inclinations, inability to care for oneself, or severe problems with drugs or alcohol.
Neuroleptics or anti-psychotic drugs are highly effective in dealing with the positive symptoms of schizophrenia. Some of these symptoms can normally be brought under control in a matter of days; others in weeks. Usually, a few months may be required to achieve a fully stabilized condition. For people with recurrent schizophrenia, neuroleptics are used to try to prevent a relapse into acute symptoms. Unfortunately, the negative symptoms of chronic schizophrenia, such as depression and apathy do not respond well to medications.
Supportive therapy involves the teaching of skills such as managing medication, learning to socialize, handling finances, and getting a job. Ideally, in-patient programs should be linked as much as possible with appropriate community-based programs to provide a continuing pattern of care.