Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is considered by many to be one of the most serious of any mental impairment.  Psychotic symptoms usually begin between the ages of 17 and 30 in men and between the ages of 20 and 40 in women.   The average case will have a history of deterioration in the person’s functioning as a teenager or young adult.   Old medical records should be obtained showing when the mental deterioration started.  These records will show the persistence of the schizophrenia.  It is almost impossible for schizophrenics to be accommodated within vocational rehabilitation.  In other words, it would be difficult for vocational rehab to find a job a schizophrenic can do.  Showing evidence from the vocational rehabilitation agency  that the schizophrenic cannot be accommodated is excellent evidence to show that the person cannot work.  Schizophrenics have a very difficult time with working under stress.

Common symptoms for Schizophrenia include: 

• Delusions
• Hallucinations
• Disorganized speech (frequent derailment or incoherence)
• Grossly disorganized or catatonic behavior
• Negative symptoms such as failure to express feelings, speech disturbance, and a lack of motivation

How your psychologist or psychiatrist rates you in the following areas will be most important:  

• Restriction of daily activities 
• Problems with social functioning
• Problems with concentration, lack of persistence, or pace
• Incidents of decompensation, each lasting a long time