What Are the signs of schizophrenia?
Schizophrenia affects about 1% of Americans.
Although schizophrenia is often associated with symptoms such as hearing voices, complex visions, and paranoia it can also manifest in a more subtle way.
The schizophrenia symptoms can be divided into positive and adverse symptoms, or things you do and don’t have.
Positive Symptoms Of Schizophrenia
Positive Symptoms are behaviors, thoughts and emotions that are typically not found in healthy people.
A person with schizophrenia can have three types of positive symptoms:
* Delusions
* Hallucinations
* Incoherence
Delusions are false ideas that have no basis in reality. Schizophrenic delusions can take many forms.
* Delusions Feeling that you are more powerful or important than you really are
* Persecutor beliefs Feeling that someone is trying to harm or get you
* Delusions of paranoia Believing that you are being watched or followed by conspiratorial forces
Beliefs centered on religious themes or figures
Nihilistic Delusions Believing that you do not exist or the reality is not real
In hallucinations, you sense something that’s not there. It can be a sense of hearing, feeling or smelling something that is not present. Hallucinations can take many forms.
Auditory Hallucinations Hearing voices or other sounds which are not real
* Visual Hallucinations – Seeing objects, people and landscapes which do not exist
* Tasty hallucinations Feeling sensations like something is touching or crawling on your skin
Incoherence can also be called disorganized speech or disordered thought. It occurs when the sentences and thoughts of a person are not coherent or jump from one subject to another. Communication can be difficult as it’s hard to understand what someone is saying.
Negative symptoms of Schizophrenia
Negative symptoms are the absence of behaviors that would be expected in a healthy person. These signs are not as obvious as positive ones, as they indicate something missing rather than what is present. Negative symptoms include:
* Withdrawal from social life Avoiding contact with others, including friends and family
* A lack of motivation Failing to take initiative or show enthusiasm
* Low energy Feeling tired or fatigued despite getting enough sleep
* Loss of passion – lack of joy and pleasure in life
* A flat affect . Having a limited range of feelings
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* Insomnia Too little or too much sleep
* Self-care Ignoring basic needs such as bathing, grooming and eating
* Cognitive impairment Inability to concentrate, memorize, remember or make decisions
Other signs of Schizophrenia
A doctor will consider other factors when diagnosing schizophrenia in addition to positive and negative symptoms:
* Length The symptoms must have existed for at least six months
* Functional The person’s daily functioning is impaired
* Symptoms of distress
* Eliminate other causes – Symptoms are not caused due to substance abuse or any mental illness
* Severity: Schizophrenia is described as an illness spectrum and symptoms may vary in severity from one person to another.
Schizophrenia can have a serious and complex impact on a person, their family members, and the world around them. If you suspect that you or someone close to you may be suffering from schizophrenia, it is vital that you seek professional assistance.
There is no cure for schizophrenia. However, there are treatment options that can reduce the severity of symptoms.
