The Philippine Schizophrenia Study Group

Schizophrenia is a serious condition affecting the brain. It affects 1% of the world’s population, mostly individuals 15 to 35 years old. Patients afflicted with this condition experience worsening personality changes that could greatly affect the relationship of the individual with the world, including his/her family. Although there is no cure, several treatment options are currently available for the control of the symptoms caused by the illness. This condition is also believed to be passed from one generation to another, hence the several studies that connect it to genetic origins.

The Philippine Schizophrenia Study Group, composed of psychiatrists and geneticists, views schizophrenia as a neurodevelopmental disorder that progresses in distinct phases. It is aims to better understand the genes involved in the symptoms of schizophrenia and eventually hopes to shed light on neurobiological abnormalities that cause schizophrenia or promote its progression.