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Schizophrenia
What are the symptoms?
The first signs of schizophrenia can be highly variable but often appear as changes in behavior that are confusing, peculiar, and even shocking. A psychotic episode may occur suddenly but may be preceded by odd behaviors--the patient with schizophrenia may lose touch with reality, becoming withdrawn and very suspicious. Likewise, patients with schizophrenia may at times act completely normal. Symptoms of the mental illness fall into three categories:
Positive Symptoms:
Positive symptoms are behaviors that are not typically seen in healthy individuals. They are often easy to spot and may come and go.
Hallucinations and illusions are disturbances in the schizophrenic patient's perception of his/her surroundings. These can be visual, auditory (sound), tactile (touch), taste, or smell disturbances. Hearing voices is the most common hallucination in patients with schizophrenia. A slight difference exists between hallucinations and illusions--hallucinations are perceptions of something that is not there (for instance, seeing a person in the room when no one is present); illusions are perceptions of something that is there but is incorrectly interpreted by the patient with schizophrenia (such as perceiving that a chair is a dog).
Delusions are false beliefs that arise without a legitimate cause. Common delusions of patients with schizophrenia are belief of persecution or fear that they are being cheated, harassed, or conspired against. For instance, if a schizophrenic patient is delusional of being poisoned, he or she may refuse food or drink. Some delusions are bizarre, for instance, believing that the neighbor's cat is sending special messages or that the government is controlling his or her behavior through radio waves.
Distorted perceptions of reality are often apparent in these individuals, and understandably so, due to the hallucinations and delusions they may be experiencing. Schizophrenic patients can behave very differently at various times--they may at one point sit very rigidly, not moving a muscle or making a sound for hours; other times they may be constantly in motion, always vigilant, alert, and preoccupied with whatever distorted perception they are experiencing.
Disordered thinking is commonly seen in patients with schizophrenia. They may not be able to concentrate, may be easily distracted, and cannot always connect thoughts into logical sequences. This makes it difficult for a person with schizophrenia to carry on a rational conversation with others.
Disordered movements are often seen in patients with schizophrenia. They may seem uncoordinated and clumsy. They may repeat the same movements over and over. Some schizophrenic patients seem to have unusual involuntary movements.
Negative Symptoms:
Negative symptoms occur when there is a reduction in normal emotions and behaviors.
Lack of emotional expression refers to a change in how schizophrenic patients express emotions. They may lack motivation, show no facial expressions, show no emotional response, and speak with a monotone voice. They may lose pleasure in everyday life.
Cognitive Symptoms:
Cognitive symptoms often result in problems with thinking and decision-making. They are often very subtle and may only be detected through a test preformed by a health care professional,
Poor executive functioning refers to the inability to interpret information and poor decision making skills.
Impaired attentionis commonly seen in patients with schizophrenia making them unable to sustain attention.
Impaired working memory refers to the inability to retrieve recently learned information.
Schizophrenia is a chronic mental illness with intermittent episodes of acute psychosis. In between these episodes, the schizophrenic patient will typically have residual symptoms such as anxiety, suspicion, and lack of motivation. Most patients with schizophrenia have difficulty forming relationships and do not marry. They may have poor self-hygiene and are often unable to hold down employment. They don't learn from their mistakes and have a lack of judgment. They may not understand the importance of continuing medical treatment for their illness. While schizophrenic patients can live a long time with their illness, they most often lack the ability to function productively in society. Many end up on the streets, and it has been reported that up to 10% commit suicide.
For more information on how schizophrenia is diagnosed, click on the link below.
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What are the symptoms?
