User:Sherm White/sandbox

American Schizophrenia Association (ASA), Est. 2012. A private non-profit charitable organization headquartered in Studio City, CA 91604.

Corporate Officers: CEO, Bud Ford. VP East Coast Region, Joseph Carella. VP Communications

The American Schizophrenia Association was chartered in response to a lack of public advocacy for the victims of Schizophrenia. The organization's core mission is sponsoring and supporting cure research through funding of institutional (academia based) and private scientific medical research, and educational efforts to combat the stigmatization of Schizophrenia through dissemination of information.

The American Schizophrenia Association defines Schizophrenia as a children’s disease, due to it's average onset age of 22. Typical onset between ages 14 to 28. The American Schizophrenia Association defines Schizophrenia as a primary driver of homelessness, substance abuse, and vagrancy.

Schizophrenia & Politics:

Prior to 1985 the US court system had the legal ability to involuntarily commit severely mentally disturbed individuals to residential psychiatric care for their benefit and protection of the public. After the Reagan Administration promoted legistlation that passed in 1985 limiting the courts power of involuntary commitment, the courts are prohibited from ordering commitment in most cases. The ‘savings’ to the Federal budget shown by removing subsidies for residential psychiatric care, have been shifted to state and local government, amounting to an estimated $80 Billion annually.

Schizophrenia & The Homeless:

Since 1985, the victims of Schizophrenia have swelled the ranks of the Homeless accounting for as much as 60% of Teen Homelessness, and perhaps 25% of the overall US Homeless population.

Schizophrenia Facts:

Schizophrenia primarily attacks children & young adults within the age group of 14-28 years. Schizophrenia is an illness for which the cause is unknown, and for which there is no known cure. 100,000 more children in the USA are diagnosed with Schizophrenia each and every year. The total US population of Schizophrenia sufferers is 3 million individuals, 1% of the US population. The gender distribution of the victims of Schizophrenia is evenly divided between male/female. The racial distribution of Schizophrenia is evenly divided, and there is no predictive test or model. Anti-psychotic medications are used to moderate the effects of Schizophrenia, not to cure it. Schizophrenia victims (patients) as a group suffer the highest suicide rate of any identified illness group.

Schizophrenia Worldwide:

Schizophrenia is found world wide, striking randomly and without predictability.