First I would like to apologize for using gender incorrectly in the title as I did, this was intended to convey an idea to the largest amount of people possible. I understand gender is frequently used wrong in this way but I believe my idea is more widely understood correctly this way. I did not mean to ask if Sz has anything to do with an individuals gender expression. Rather I was wondering if there was any proof to suggest that Sz is more common in one sex over the others.
I cannot say that I have met any other female to date who shares my diagnoses of Sz. I am curious if my experience in this matter is shared or just my individual experience. I would like to know if there are other females out there with Sz and if there is any conclusive studies that might shed light on why there would be a bias towards sex if one exists.
I do plan to research this later this evening and I will report back any findings I might come across.
The difference between Sex and Gender is not on topic with the main point I want to make here but if you have more questions regarding this topic please feel free to message me privately or consult our friend Google.
Edit: to add an ‘s’ to other so as to be inclusive of intersexed individuals too.
I don’t think it affects one more then the other. Perhaps males get earlier onset but there does not seem to be a statistic stating gender as a factor.
From what I have seen both have it with statistics showing males only a little higher percentage. From following these boards now for a few years I have seen about an equal number of men and women who have been diagnosed SZ.
@Wave Interesting. Do you have any studies readily available that show this? Also I need to research the difference between Sz and Schizoaffective as I am not familiar with the term.
I think it comes down to how females handle handle it vs men, and not really a difference significant to the cause or effect. I could be dead wrong though.
I personally do not have specific stats on the subject - my source is the vast internet. Maybe you can look it up?
I have always known that more males are dxed with paranoid SZ than females. SZA is basically schizophrenia and mania or depression or both (bipolar). I am pretty sure that more females are dxed with schizoaffective because of the added influence of hormones to the picture. Hormonal issues can influence mood
Male onset is around 18-19 on average, female onset is mid 20s on average. Theres no significant gender split, i think its something like 45% female and 55% male but Im not positive. However autism is mostly in males, Simon Baron Cohen theorizes that autism is an extreme of the male brain. My sister’s fiance is a high functioning autistic (thats what he told me, we had a good one on one chat on Easter) and he strikes you as very logical, honest, and fact-oriented, he works upwards of 60 hours a week in IT and is an outstanding student like me- he has scholarships and even a stipend to grad school to get a doctorate in museum conservation or something, he works outstandingly well with things, functions socially but you might guess that he has something like Aspergers from the nature of his conversations- he is logical to an absolute, intelligent, and states facts, not opinions. I like him, I am an INTJ which is basically the closest personality type to the autism spectrum, just clearly not on the spectrum, ive been evaluated and came up negative for it.
But my old friend from high school who has Aspergers is different- he is intelligent, he made identical ACT scores as me, but his Aspergers shows in his inappropriate social behavior- he constantly makes sex jokes. We all love him to death but we weren’t surprised when he told us he had Aspergers. He is actually quite social, however. He is aware of his condition and is actually outgoing and personable. But when he’s around his old buddies, he has no filter. He does install a filter for different audiences, however- he has a girlfriend who Im sure he doesnt talk to the same way he talks to his bros.
Keep in mind this is just my thinking Every month myself and a lot of women deal with PMS symptoms. Our hormone levels are affected. Increased or decreased mood. Physical symptoms. Whatever is causing these symptoms would also have an affect on other parts of our bodies ie the brain. bear371’s link probably explains it better then I can.
I am a female with the diagnosis SZ and although it says women get it later than men in life (past 25) I got it early like the men, so its just averages. I was 18 when I was diagnosed.
Thank you everyone for your insight and information. All of this is very helpful and insightful.
Being female myself I certainly have a personal experience with my own journey with Sz but I have no indication of how typical my own experiences are to that of other females not having the opportunity to talk with any in the past.
Forgive me for not responding to each of you individually, I am at work and receiving comments faster than I have time to reply, however I find all of your input helpful. Thank you.
@Saadiqah Thank you for sharing that. I was not diagnosed until i was 24 but now understanding Sz better and the psychosis symptoms that are common I can say with some degree of certainty that I have had some psychosis symptoms from a young age. Had I a better support system when I was younger perhaps I might have got help sooner than I did.
I sometimes wonder myself if I got help earlier it could have made my sz less worse. I suffered from panic attacks and voices since I was 14 and it went untreated for four years. I wonder if I got treated sooner if I would have had my breakdown at 18…
Every month myself and a lot of women deal with PMS symptoms. Our hormone levels are affected. Increased or decreased mood. Physical symptoms. Whatever is causing these symptoms would also have an affect on other parts of our bodies ie the brain. bear371’s link probably explains it better then I can.