Can a person suddenly develop schizophrenia or do they have to be born with it??

Sometimes it does seem to come on suddenly but if you really think about it you see that the signs have been there for a while. It usually comes on between the late teens and early 20's I think. It can be brought on by a traumatic event in someones life also.

I can't answer that but ME can
I think that they are born with the tendency for it to strike at any time in their lives. I had a psycotic episode with depression that hit me all of a sudden at age 35. But my brother had the same thing at age 15. So it must run in our family as a genetic tendency.
The right medicine can straighten it out if you go to a doctor.
i think its pretty rare to be born with it if it ever happens it all, i dont know a lot about it but ive heard it most commonly develops in people in their late teens through thirties. drugs can cause it too, cocaine in particular.
It usually develops over time but there are instances where drug use can bring it on suddenly.
An anonymous forum:
http://www.afreshpath.com/

A general forum:
http://howto.netmorale.com
Schizophrenia most of the time suddenly develops, it usually is not hereditary. It most likely occurs while you are in your 20's but for women it is sometimes later than that. Schizophrenia is a rare mental illness and should be treated immediately, but you first must make sure that is what you or whoever you know has and get it diagnosed. Most are not diagnosed until a serious event or crisis occurs.

To answer your question, YES it can suddenly develop and that is the number one way. You are not usually born with a mental illness of this magnitude, usually it forms as you grow older and usually hits when you are in your 20's or later.