SCHIZOPHRENIA IN ADULT WOMEN Abstract Presentati

Presentation of Issue and Target Group

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH, 2003) states that schizophrenia is the most disabling of all of the mental disorders. According to the NIMH, globally, about one percent of all men and women are diagnosed with schizophrenia. It occurs more often in young men than in women and usually has its onset in the late teen and early adult years. In the United States, approximately 2.2 million adults (individuals 18 years or older) have schizophrenia. The NIMH also reports that women tend to have later onset, and may have more depressive symptoms, paranoia, and auditory hallucinations than men but they tend to respond better to typical antipsychotic medications.

The issue selected for examination in this report is schizophrenia in adult women. It is important to discuss this particular target group for several reasons. First, Chernomas, Clarke and Chisholm (2000) note that among schizophrenics in general, adult women have some very unique healthcare needs. Specifically, their healthcare concerns are said to differ from those of men in a variety of ways such as whether to continue medication while pregnant, motherhood issues, and often adult schizophrenic women have sexual abuse issues. Further, schizophrenic symptoms tend to increase during pregnancy and postpartum.

Also, Chernomas, Clarke and Chisholm (2000) point out that while the average age of onset for men is 21 years of age, the av

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Category: Psychology - S