Early onest schizophrenia?

Just out of curiosity, if you have schizophrenia, when did it start (and what is your gender)? It seems like I can't be schizophrenic because I'm only an eighteen year old female! I know there's early onset schizophrenia, but its pretty rare! Isn't eighteen too early for women? The doctors could be wrong, right? (A year ago was the real start of it, at 17 1/2. They first diagnosed me as either bi-polar or schizophrenic, then they decided I wasn't bi-polar.)

And yes, I have read up on schizophrenia and they tell me that I have all the symptoms. (Of paranoid and some disorganized schizophrenia) And I'm not "messing around"- you don't choose this. I'm doing anything I can to disprove this. I don't want to mess up my family either.

i'm 18 and female as well,i was diagnosed bipolar a little over a year ago, i didn't have very many noticeable symptoms.i've been on limictal for as long as i can remember, i noticed i had a VERY hard time paying attention in school. I had heard about aderhol (an A.D.D med) and i asked my physciatrist for his input,he had said that he doesn't like putting bipolar patients on this medication but since i was taking limictal at the time he said hed be fine with me trying it out. BAD IDEA FOR ME. i started feeling extremely anxious,i started hearing voices, couldn't sleep,i couldn't SLEEP i was worrying about so much. This happened about 4 months ago,i turned 18 November 20th. Unfortunantly i had no idea these kindof sideffects from this med.i've never been the same since:/ I'm taking seroquil right now for sleep,my moods are up and down but i still have minor episodes as if i was still taking the A.D.D medication. I now have visual hallucinations. Ever since i was a child i can remember having delusions and preforming rituals as if i was OCD.This is all REALLY hard too type,I really could go on and on.but what im trying to say is age is not a factor. if you wanna talk email me ^-^ i love talking to people i can really relate too.

Actually early onset can be younger that 16 and mid on set is around 27-30. Have you read up on schizophrenia. People under 25 yrs account for the most episodes of schizophrenia and it is rarely seen in people over 45.
Symptoms: distorted reality, delusions &hullucinations, numbed emotions, trouble relating to other people, feelings of isolation, or actual withdrawal from social situations, feelings of fear of the world, inability to focus or make logical connections at times. The symptoms can be visual or auditory hallucinations.
Often Bipolar with Psychotic features can be confused with Schizophrenia. Only time on medications can tell which it actually is.
At times some people on medication function very well once on medications. Early treatment, both medications and counseling play a Hugh part in the recovery of individual.
If you live in the states NAMI.com is an excellent resource for finding out more information. Also asking you doctor for reading material is very appropriate. Also feel free to read my profile and if you think I can answer more specific questions feel free to email me. God Bless Reggie. Please do not be discouraged by this many people on their medications live very active and normal lives.

You make it sound like it fun...
And you can get it from the age of around your early teens. My Friend went to a metal institution at 17 years of age and she has schizophrenia. My mother has had it ever since I was five and my life has been **** with her having that metal illness I wish she never has it. I really think it is one you shouldn't play around with it destroys families and every ones life around you, my parents got divorced because of it. Shell I say more...

age ranges are for the textbooks, children as young as 6 have been diagnosed with schizo or bipolar. If your doctors can't decide what it is then you need another opinion. The symptoms are pretty obvious to distinguish between the two.

I didn't realise there were age limits on mental illnesses
Newt from Hollyoaks has it and he's only 15 even though yes he is a boy.