Schizophrenia is a common mental illness whose cause has not been fully understood. It often begins in young adulthood. People with schizophrenia usually have special disorders in various aspects such as thinking, perception, emotion, and behavior, as well as a lack of coordination between mental activities and the environment. Generally, there is no disturbance of consciousness or intellectual impairment. The course of the disease often drags on.

The onset of schizophrenia can generally be divided into two types: intermittent episodes and continuous episodes. For those with intermittent episodes, symptoms usually appear suddenly for a period of time and are followed by remission periods. Some patients never have another episode after one attack. For those with a continuous course of the disease, the illness generally develops into a chronic condition. Some of these patients may experience mental deterioration and are difficult to cure completely.