Schizophrenia and Violence

" Schizophrenia Facts and Statistics ." Schizophrenia .com. 5 Mar. 2007 . 

Schizophrenia and Violence

People with schizophrenia are far more likely to harm themselves than be violent toward the public. Violence is not a symptom of schizophrenia.

News and entertainment media tend to link mental illnesses including schizophrenia to criminal violence. Most people with schizophrenia, however, are not violent toward others but are withdrawn and prefer to be left alone. Drug or alcohol abuse raises the risk of violence in people with schizophrenia, particularly if the illness is untreated, but also in people who have no mental illness.

Schizophrenia and Jail

The vast majority of people with schizophrenia who are in jail have been charged with misdemeanors such as trespassing.

As many as one in five (20%) of the 2.1 million Americans in jail and prison are seriously mentally ill, far outnumbering the number of mentally ill who are in mental hospitals, according to a comprehensive study. Source: Human Rights Watch

The American Psychiatric Association estimated in 2000 that one in five prisoners were seriously mentally ill, with up to 5 percent actively psychotic at any given moment.

In 1999, the statistical arm of the Justice Department estimated that 16 percent of state and federal prisoners and inmates in jails were suffering from mental illness. These illnesses included schizophrenia, manic depression (or bipolar disorder) and major depression.

The figures are higher for female inmates, the report says. The Justice Department study found that 29 percent of white female inmates, 22 percent of Hispanic female inmates and 20 percent of black female inmates were identified as mentally ill.

Many individuals with schizophrenia revolve between hospitals, jails and shelters. In Illinois 30% of patiants discharged from state psychiatric hospitals are rehospitalized within 30 days. In New York 60% of discharged patients are rehospitalized within a year. Source: Surviving Schizophrenia

Cost of Schizophrenia

" Schizophrenia Facts and Statistics ." Schizophrenia .com. 5 Mar. 2007 . 

http://www.schizophrenia.com/szfacts.htm

Schizophrenia is a devastating disorder for most people who are afflicted, and very costly for families and society. The overall U.S. 2002 cost of schizophrenia was estimated to be $62.7 billion, with $22.7 billion excess direct health care cost ($7.0 billion outpatient, $5.0 billion drugs, $2.8 billion inpatient, $8.0 billion long-term care). (source: Analysis Group, Inc.)

Schizophrenia, long considered the most chronic, debilitating and costly mental illness, now consumes a total of about $63 billion a year for direct treatment, societal and family costs. Richard Wyatt, M.D., chief of neuropsychiatry, National Institutes of Mental Health, has said that nearly 30 percent ($19 billion) of schizophrenia's cost involves direct treatment and the rest is absorbed by other factors -- lost timefrom work for patients and care givers, social services and criminal justice resources.

A more recent estimate of the cost of schizophrenia and other serious mental illnesses (biplar disorder, serious depression, etc) from Dr, E. Fuller Torrey in Q1, 2004 was that federal costs for the care of seriously mentally ill individuals now total $41 billion yearly and are rocketing upward at a rate of $2.6 billion a year.

Issues Within Schizophrenia

"Research Looks Inward and Outward." The Mission. 1996. 5 Mar. 2007 . http://www.uthscsa.edu/mission/spring96/schizres.htm

Several other researchers are converging on the social issues associated with schizophrenia. For example:

• Dr. Velligan is helping patients and their families cope with cognitive deficits, such as attention and memory problems, which remain even on medication. How can these be overcome?
• Janet Tekell, MD, clinical assistant professor of psychiatry, and Julia Vertrees, PharmD, are looking at the costs of schizophrenia. How can these be reduced?
• Delia Saldana, PhD, clinical assistant professor of psychiatry, is comparing stresses caused by a psychotic family member among urban and rural Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites. They're different. What can the two cultures learn from one another and what can both do to lessen the stress?

" Schizophrenia Facts and Statistics ." Schizophrenia .com. 5 Mar. 2005 .

After 10 years, of the people diagnosed with schizophrenia:

• 25% Completely Recover
• 25% Much Improved, relatively independent
• 25% Improved, but require extensive support network
• 15% Hospitalized, unimproved
• 10% Dead (Mostly Suicide)

After 30 years, of the people diagnosed with schizophrenia:

• 25% Completely Recover
• 35% Much Improved, relatively independent
• 15% Improved, but require extensive support network
• 10% Hospitalized, unimproved
• 15% Dead (Mostly Suicide)

Where are the People with Schizophrenia?
Approximately:

• 6% are homeless or live in shelters
• 6% live in jails or prisons
• 5% to 6% live in Hospitals
• 10% live in Nursing homes
• 25% live with a family member
• 28% are living independently
• 20% live in Supervised Housing (group homes, etc.)