Schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder that is characterized by continuous or relapsing psychotic episodes.It can be quite severeandcause disordered thoughts, speech, and actions. People who suffer from schizophrenia may not be able to care for themselves or work. The condition causes them to have thoughts that people will hurt them (paranoid delusions) or they may hear people talking to them inside their head. Sufferers often become frightened or angry with these thoughts. They may get frustrated with this and spend long periods of time not speaking to anyone. You may think they are okay until they begin to express their thoughts. They tend to be “storytellers” and have grand stories of things going on that they completely believe are real, but are not. Schizophrenia has long been enveloped in stereotyping, mystique, and stigma. People often associate it with causing a sufferer to be violent or inappropriate. It is simply just another form of mental disorder that affects over 51 million people in the world. This article will help to answer important questions, discuss treatment, and give tips for living with schizophrenia.
The symptoms of schizophrenia arise at different ages for men and women. Women experience the onset of symptoms later in the twenties while men tend to experience the onset earlier. Children and teenagers may also have schizophrenia, but the symptoms are different. For instance, teenagers are less likely to have delusions but may experience more visual hallucinations. There are very few findings of the disorder after the age of 45. The symptoms of schizophrenia are:
Delusional thinking. Four out of five people with schizophrenia suffer from delusional thinking (having thoughts not based on reality). Examples of delusional thinking include:
- Believing people are going to harm you
- Thinking everyone in a room is angry at you
- Sensing that something is terribly wrong in the world or with yourself
- Feeling like you are very grand, famous, or popular.
Disorganized thinking. Thoughts tend to be disordered and words may be inappropriate for the conversation. Sentences may be mixed up with the end words coming before the beginning words. This is called “a word salad.” All the thoughts and words are there they just don’t come out the right way. This can severely block communication.
Disorganized motor skills and behaviors. You may notice spells of agitation mixed with acting childish. These behaviors can interfere with completing tasks and are not goal-oriented. Motor skills can become disorganized and include:
- Posturing (bizarre or inappropriate body positioning)
- Excessive movement
- Movements that are not needed
- Inability to follow instructions or being unresponsive to commands.
Hallucinations. You may notice a person with schizophrenia sees things that are not there or they may talk to themselves because they hear someone talking in their head. To them, this is all very real. They may see, hear, or even smell or feel things touching them. However, the most common complaint is hearing voices.
Flat affect. This is a lack of expression, emotion, or connection with others. They have trouble making eye contact with others, they do not smile or frown, and speak in a monotone voice. They also have trouble using their hands when they speak to accent a conversation.
Inability to carry out daily life. A person with schizophrenia may be unable to keep up with hygiene needs, plan their day, do daily activities, socialize, or do pleasurable activities.