Plain-language, educational articles on schizophrenia, psychosis, antipsychotic medications, and lived experience — by ColdAI.
More than half of people with schizophrenia also meet criteria for at least one anxiety disorder. Treating anxiety can dramatically improve quality of life — but it's often missed.
GeriatricOlder adults with schizophrenia commonly take 8 or more medications. Each one adds risk. A structured medication review is one of the most important tools in geriatric psychiatry.
State guidesIllinois delivers schizophrenia care through Medicaid HealthChoice managed care, the DHS Division of Mental Health, and a network of community providers — overseen by the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Code.
FitnessResistance training is underused in mental health care. For people with schizophrenia, it can shift body composition, lift mood, and rebuild self-efficacy — without requiring intense aerobic effort.
Substance useQuitting smoking is harder with schizophrenia, but absolutely possible. Here is what the evidence and lived experience say about strategies that actually stick.
Legal & FinancialMedicare is the federal health insurance program most people associate with retirement — but it covers many people with schizophrenia under 65 too. Here's how its four parts work.
BehaviorsMoney trouble in schizophrenia is rarely about character. It is usually a mix of cognitive load, episodic impulsivity, and a benefits system that punishes savings. There are practical fixes.
InternationalIndia has one of the world's largest populations living with schizophrenia. The system relies on the District Mental Health Programme, charitable hospitals, and the irreplaceable role of family caregivers.
InteractionsIbuprofen, naproxen, and similar NSAIDs are among the most-used over-the-counter drugs. With clozapine they raise concerns about renal function, bleeding, and rare interactions worth understanding.
DelusionsSomatic delusions centre on the body — its shape, its insides, or what is supposedly inhabiting it. They are often highly distressing and frequently misdiagnosed.
CopingA sensory toolbox is a physical kit of small items chosen to ground you through your senses. Built well, it sits on a shelf and waits for hard moments without judgement.
StoryFor seven years my mother told me my schizophrenia was 'just stress' and I should try harder. The day she sat in the family group at NAMI, something shifted. We are still rebuilding, slowly.
StoryEight years after my first hospitalisation, I sat for the certified peer specialist exam in Pennsylvania. Here is what that path actually looked like.
StoryMy first episode came with vivid religious content. For two years afterwards I could not set foot in a church. This is the story of slowly finding my way back.
StoryI have had three serious relationships since being diagnosed with schizophrenia. The disclosure conversation has gone differently each time. Here is what I have learned about timing, framing, and being chosen.
How-toSSI is a needs-based federal program for people with very limited income and resources. For someone with schizophrenia and no work history, it's often the foundation of financial stability.
SleepTrazodone, melatonin, hydroxyzine, mirtazapine, and others all have a role in treating insomnia in schizophrenia. Here is a clear, honest guide to the options.
Special populationsAmerican jails now hold more people with schizophrenia than American hospitals. Understanding how that happened — and what works — matters.
Co-occurringObsessive-compulsive symptoms occur in around a quarter of people with schizophrenia — sometimes worsened by antipsychotics. The treatment overlaps with standard OCD care but needs adaptation.
CrisisCIT training has become the most common mental-health response training for US police. Here is what it actually covers, when to ask for a CIT officer, and what the training does not change.
HospitalPartial hospitalization sits between inpatient care and weekly outpatient therapy — a structured day program that can prevent admissions or shorten them.
TreatmentRoughly 40–70% of people on clozapine are partial responders — better than before, but still symptomatic. Here's what the evidence supports as augmentation, and what to skip.
MedicationThe difference between first- and second-generation antipsychotics is real, but smaller than 1990s marketing suggested. The CATIE and CUtLASS trials reshaped how psychiatrists think about both classes.
MedicationPerphenazine, an older mid-potency typical, surprised the field in the 2005 CATIE trial by matching newer atypicals on most outcomes. It remains a quietly useful option.
SymptomsAlogia is the negative symptom that quietly affects conversation — fewer words, less elaboration, longer pauses. It is rarely about not having anything to say.
OverviewSchizophrenia before age 13 is rare — fewer than 1 in 30,000 children — but profoundly serious. It overlaps with autism and other neurodevelopmental conditions and demands specialist care.
OverviewPositive symptoms add things to a person's experience (voices, beliefs). Negative symptoms take things away (motivation, emotion, speech). Both deserve attention.
Crisis & safetyOnce an inpatient bed opens, the move from the ED to the unit is its own ordeal. Knowing what happens next makes a hard transition less destabilising.
Special populationsSchizophrenia and epilepsy share more than people often realise — genes, brain regions, and treatment trade-offs. Understanding the overlap matters for patients with either or both.
FAQOnline schizophrenia self-tests cannot diagnose you. They can flag whether your concerns are worth bringing to a clinician, but actual diagnosis requires a comprehensive psychiatric evaluation.