Plain-language, educational articles on schizophrenia, psychosis, antipsychotic medications, and lived experience — by ColdAI.
An IEP and a 504 plan are different legal tools that help students with disabilities. Here's how to choose between them when schizophrenia is in the picture.
MythsThe 'medication zombie' image comes from old, high-dose typical antipsychotics. Modern prescribing aims for the lowest effective dose — and most people on it do not feel flat.
DisparitiesIndigenous communities in the US carry a disproportionate burden of trauma, suicide, and serious mental illness — and the federal system meant to provide their care has been chronically underfunded for generations.
Side effectsPeripheral edema — swelling of the lower legs and feet — is an uncommon but recognised antipsychotic side effect. Here is the differential and what to do about it.
HallucinationsSmelling something that nobody else can smell is unsettling. In most cases the cause is neurological or ENT-related, but olfactory hallucinations can also occur in schizophrenia.
StoryThree weeks in a psychiatric hospital can change a lot, including the question of whether you can do your job. A composite story of going back.
CaregiverWhen you're the last person standing for a sibling with schizophrenia, the responsibility is uniquely heavy. This guide covers the practical and emotional work.
CaregiverFamily psychoeducation is one of the few interventions in psychiatry that consistently reduces relapses. It is also one of the least available. Here's why it matters.
WorkplaceSelf-employment can be a great fit for people with schizophrenia — flexible hours, controlled environment, no boss. It also strips away structure and benefits. Here is how to weigh it.
RecoveryWRAP — the Wellness Recovery Action Plan — is a self-management framework developed by Mary Ellen Copeland and used by hundreds of thousands of people in mental health recovery worldwide.
LifestyleArt therapy is specifically recommended in UK NICE guidelines for schizophrenia, particularly for negative symptoms. Here is what the practice looks like and what the evidence actually says.
TherapyTrauma is far more common in people with schizophrenia than in the general population — and standard psychiatric care can sometimes retraumatise. Trauma-informed care is the alternative.
TherapyAsking whether CBT can replace antipsychotics frames the problem badly. The real question is which combination, in what sequence, for which person.
Side EffectNeuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) is a rare but potentially fatal reaction to antipsychotic medication. Recognising the warning signs early can save a life.
LAIUzedy is a newer subcutaneous risperidone LAI that offers once-monthly or every-two-month dosing, no loading dose, and no required oral overlap. Here's how it compares.
MedicationPimozide has a narrow but distinctive role: FDA-approved for Tourette syndrome, long associated off-label with delusional disorder, and demanding careful cardiac monitoring.
MedicationPaliperidone shares much of risperidone's profile — including prolactin elevation and movement effects — but has its own dosing logic that shapes the experience.
MedicationCariprazine is a partial dopamine agonist that prefers the D3 receptor, with growing evidence in negative symptoms of schizophrenia and bipolar depression.
ProfileVirginia Woolf had several severe mental health episodes across her life and died by suicide in 1941. The exact diagnosis remains contested — but the record itself is rich and worth careful reading.
ProfileRoss David Burke spent the last years of his life writing a detailed account of his own schizophrenia. The book, edited by his clinicians and published after his death, remains one of the most candid first-person records of the illness.
ProfileEduard Einstein, the younger son of Albert and Mileva, was diagnosed with schizophrenia at twenty. He spent most of the rest of his life in the Burghölzli psychiatric hospital in Zurich, separated from his father by an ocean and by a treatment philosophy of the era.
PsychosisSchizoaffective disorder sits in the territory between schizophrenia and bipolar or depressive illness. The diagnosis is precise — and the treatment approach reflects both halves.
NeuroscienceMismatch negativity is one of the most reliable biological abnormalities ever found in schizophrenia — and a window into NMDA receptor function in the living brain.
PreventionCoordinated Specialty Care brings a multidisciplinary team around young people in their first episode of psychosis. It is now the standard of care in much of the US.
DiagnosisThe SCID-5 is the structured interview used in research and difficult clinical cases to confirm a DSM-5 diagnosis. Here is what it looks like and how to prepare.
OverviewSchizoaffective disorder sits at the intersection of schizophrenia and a mood disorder (depression or bipolar). The diagnostic difference matters for treatment.
Side effectsMetabolic syndrome is the cluster of risk factors — abdominal weight, glucose, lipids, blood pressure — that drives cardiovascular disease. Antipsychotics push every one of them in the wrong direction.
Culture and faithBuddhist teachings on impermanence, compassion, and the nature of mind can offer real support to people living with schizophrenia — alongside, not instead of, medical care.
Rare presentationsKurt Schneider's first-rank symptoms once defined schizophrenia almost on their own. Modern diagnostic systems have stepped back from that idea — but the symptoms themselves still matter.
TherapyEye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing has moved from the margins of trauma care to the mainstream. For people with psychosis and PTSD, the evidence now supports its use.