Television and film overwhelmingly portray schizophrenics as young, white men. These men are typically depicted as violent criminals or struggling geniuses coping with the loss of their work.
In real life, schizophrenia is not as seen on TV — especially for women. Scientists are increasingly learning how schizophrenia impacts men and women differently.
Men typically show schizophrenic symptoms at younger ages. The onset for most schizophrenic men is during their late teens or early twenties.
Although some schizophrenic women develop the disease in their late teens or early twenties, others don’t see symptoms until their 40s or even their 60s. Women are twice as likely to present with symptoms after age 40. That means a woman with late-onset schizophrenia might live most of her life without any indication that she will one day be schizophrenic.
