Plain-language, educational articles on schizophrenia, psychosis, antipsychotic medications, and lived experience — by ColdAI.
Up to 30% of patients with schizophrenia are on more than one antipsychotic, but the evidence supporting most combinations is weak. Here's a clear-eyed look at when it helps.
MedicationTrifluoperazine is a high-potency phenothiazine antipsychotic — efficacious for positive symptoms but with the EPS profile typical of high-potency typicals.
ProfileJohn Nash won the Nobel Prize for game theory, lost three decades to severe schizophrenia, and ultimately recovered enough to return to academic work. His story remains one of the most important in modern psychiatry.
SymptomsAvolition is the absence of the internal push that normally gets people moving. It's a real neurological symptom, not a character flaw — and there are things that help.
OverviewMost of what people believe about schizophrenia is wrong, exaggerated, or out of date. Ten of the most persistent myths — corrected with sources, calmly.
DifferentialThree diagnoses share the 'schiz-' prefix but describe very different lives. Here is what schizotypal, schizoid, and schizophrenia actually mean.
StoryI was discharged from the hospital ten days before Thanksgiving. I almost did not go. I am glad I did, and I am glad I had a plan.
Drug interactionsWarfarin requires precise monitoring, and several antipsychotics — through liver enzyme effects and protein binding — can shift INR enough to cause bleeding or clotting.
City guidesPhiladelphia is one of the few US cities to operate its own behavioural-health Medicaid plan. This guide explains DBHIDS, CBH, Penn Med, and the city's crisis numbers.
Brain circuitsDiffusion MRI studies show widespread reductions in white matter integrity in schizophrenia, with the largest effects in the corpus callosum and frontotemporal tracts.
StoryI moved from rural Wyoming to Boston so I could be a patient at a specialised early-psychosis clinic. The move took a year of planning. It was worth it.
WorkplaceGoing back to work after a psychiatric hospitalization is one of the most important — and most overlooked — milestones of recovery. Here is how to do it carefully.
HousingShared living arrangements pair an adult with schizophrenia with a paid host who provides a room, meals, and informal support — closer to family life than institution.
SleepCBT-I is the gold-standard psychotherapy for chronic insomnia, and it works in schizophrenia. Here is how it is structured, what the evidence shows, and what a course typically looks like.
Caregiver scenariosIf a neighbor with schizophrenia is socially isolated, your small, steady presence can be one of the most stabilising forces in their week — without ever crossing into care you are not equipped to give.
ResearchMR spectroscopy uses the same scanner as MRI to measure brain chemistry directly. In schizophrenia, it has produced some of the strongest non-PET evidence on glutamate, GABA, and energy metabolism.
Medical comorbidityMetabolic syndrome — the cluster of central obesity, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and impaired glucose handling — affects roughly a third of people on antipsychotics and is a major driver of premature death in schizophrenia.
StoryI started a small online support group for women with schizophrenia two years ago. There are 34 of us now. This is what I wish I had known on day one.
Negative symptomsAttention deficits are one of the most common cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia — and one of the strongest predictors of how someone will function day to day.
StoryI refused medication for two years after my first hospitalization. I'm 31 now, three years back on it. This is what changed my mind.
Differential diagnosisSchizoaffective disorder is the diagnostic middle ground between schizophrenia and primary mood disorders — and it's one of the most complicated calls in psychiatry.
GeriatricFalls are the leading cause of injury death in older adults — and antipsychotics are one of the strongest medication-related risk factors. Here's what to do.
State guidesOhio delivers schizophrenia care through 50 county Alcohol, Drug Addiction, and Mental Health Services boards plus Medicaid managed care, overseen by OhioMHAS.
FitnessRunning needs no equipment beyond shoes, can be done almost anywhere, and has some of the strongest evidence of any exercise for cognition and mood. Here is how to begin without burning out.
DisparitiesLGBTQ+ people with schizophrenia carry the combined weight of two heavily stigmatised identities. Recent research is finally describing the specific gaps — and what gender-affirming, trauma-informed psychiatric care looks like.
HallucinationsTasting something that isn't there is the rarest type of hallucination. Causes range from epilepsy to medication side effects, with schizophrenia accounting for a small minority.
How-toMedicare is more useful for serious mental illness than people realise — but the parts can be confusing. Here is a clear walkthrough of Parts A, B, C, and D for someone with schizophrenia.
CaregiverCo-parenting after divorce is hard enough. When one parent has schizophrenia, it requires extra honesty, planning, and humility — but it can be done well.
CaregiverSiblings of people with schizophrenia carry a quiet, lifelong weight — and are often the family members least supported by clinicians, friends, or the wider system.
WorkplaceThere is no single right answer about telling coworkers you have schizophrenia. Here is a framework — and a short script — for thinking it through honestly.