Women also fly under the radar because estrogen has long been known to play a protective role, part of the reason women have a slightly lower rate of illness than men.
With the brain bathed in the hormone following puberty, females who are at risk spend their teenage years establishing relationships and thriving in school. This provides major support when they succumb a few years later, says John Krystal, chair of psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine. Meanwhile, boys get sick before this crucial social period, a possible reason why males with the disease can be cut off from society and end up on the streets.