Short answers, pulled from the story.
Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler coined the term schizophrenia in 1908. He introduced this name to describe a condition involving a splitting of mental functions rather than a splitting of personality.
Eighty percent of individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia will experience hallucinations at some point in their lives. The vast majority of these individuals hear voices that are not there, making auditory hallucinations the most prominent feature of the disorder.
The heritability of schizophrenia is estimated to be between 70% and 80%, yet the disorder persists in the population despite significantly reducing reproductive fitness. Having a first-degree relative with the disease increases the risk to 6.5%, while identical twins have a risk of over 40%.
The typical onset of the disorder occurs between ages 18 and 25. Cognitive impairments often appear years before the first episode of psychosis during a prodromal stage that can last up to five years.
Living in an urban environment during childhood or adulthood increases the risk of developing schizophrenia by a factor of two. This risk persists even after accounting for drug use, ethnicity, and social group size.
The annual cost of schizophrenia in the United States was estimated at $62.7 billion in 2002. This economic burden reflects the high prevalence of long-term unemployment, poverty, homelessness, and victimization among those diagnosed with the disorder.