Schizophrenia: Health Facts | Mental Health slideshows | Emotional & Mental Health center

What Is Schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is a psychiatric disorder that is characterized by breakdown in the relation between emotions, behavior, and thought which result in absurd behavior, memory loss, inappropriate actions, separation from society, and loss of interest. People usually call this person “rude”. The patient experiences hallucinations (false perception) and delusions. Delusion is a false belief and it is very common in the people suffering from schizophrenia. Such patients have disorganized speech – the patient speaks in a way that is illogical and hard to understand. Schizophrenia usually strikes in early adulthood, between 16 and 22 years of age, but can develop at any age.

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www.helpguide.org/mental/schizophrenia_symptom.htm
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/schizophrenia/DS00196/DSECTION=symptoms
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Schizophrenia/Pages/Symptoms.aspx

Common Misconceptions About Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a mental disorder and the patients suffering from this disorder have inappropriate behavior. Most people think that this person is mad and rude. People usually confuse the term schizophrenia with psychosis. Psychosis is a severe mental disorder in which the patient’s emotions and thoughts are so impaired that he loses contact with the external reality. Schizophrenia, however, includes all the symptoms of psychosis along with bizarre behavior, impaired memory, and isolation from social life or society. Schizophrenic patients show different symptoms and this condition is treatable. A patient can lead a normal life after the proper treatment of this disorder. It must be kept in mind that schizophrenic people are NOT dangerous.

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Genes Play An Important Role – Causes Of Schizophrenia

The three main causes of schizophrenia include genetic causes, environmental causes, and abnormal brain structure. Schizophrenia is strongly associated with genetics. A person with a first degree relative suffering from schizophrenia is more likely to develop this mental disorder. Schizophrenia runs in families, however, the individuals who are genetically predisposed to schizophrenia do not always develop the disorder. Environmental factors play an important role in the onset of this disorder in an individual. Early parental loss or separation, and childhood physical or sexual abuse are the two main environmental factors. Abnormalities in the structure of the brain play an important role in the development of schizophrenia.

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Social Withdrawal – Early Warning Signs

Schizophrenia shows different characteristics in different people. However, there are some early signs that may indicate the onset of the disease. Social withdrawal is one of the earliest symptoms of this disorder. The patient begins to develop a paranoid personality. He becomes very suspicious and is pre-occupied with thoughts that everybody around him is plotting something against him. Disorganized speech, a flat gaze, the inability to express emotions, extreme reactions to criticism, forgetfulness, a low mood, and inappropriate or rude behavior are some of the early warning signs of schizophrenia. The symptoms may not worsen if proper nursing and treatment are given to the patient as soon as he develops the early signs.

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Delusions Can Be Irritating

A firm false belief is called delusion. It is one of the primary characteristics of schizophrenia and it can be very disturbing for the family and friends of the individual suffering from the disease. The patient unknowingly believes something that has no link to reality. A good example of delusion is that a patient believes he is a millionaire and a famous personality but in reality he is just an ordinary person. It is almost impossible for anybody to show reality to the patient. The different forms of delusion include a delusion of prosecution, a delusion of control, a delusion of reference, and a delusion of grandeur.

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Disorganized Speech And Behavior Is Common

Individuals who have developed the disease show bizarre behavior that may be very irritating for the people around that person. One of the reasons of this bizarre behavior is a delusion or hallucination. The patient is so strongly pre-occupied with the thoughts of prosecution that he doesn’t believe anybody. Not only behavior is affected; individuals suffering from schizophrenia show disorganized speech as well. Due to the changes in the mental status of the patient, he makes the statements that are hard to understand or sometimes they don’t even make any sense. Disorganized speech is seen in almost every case of schizophrenia.

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There Are 3 Types Of Schizophrenia

There are three main types of schizophrenia based on the symptoms. No doubt, symptoms of schizophrenia vary from person to person but there are some common symptoms which tend to appear in most of the cases. Based on these symptoms, schizophrenia is classified as paranoid schizophrenia, catatonic schizophrenia, and disorganized schizophrenia. People suffering from paranoid schizophrenia are known to show suspicious ideas and beliefs. Disorganized schizophrenia mainly includes disorganized speech and absurd behavior. It is hard for the friends and family of this person to understand his behavior and speech. Such patients are not harmful but may cause problems because of their strange behavior. Catatonic schizophrenia comes with symptoms of deep depression or regression. Individuals suffering from this type of schizophrenia isolate themselves from society and dramatically reduce their activity.

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Hallucinations Are Seen In Almost Every Case

Hallucinations are the misconceptions without any external stimulus. These can be visual, auditory, olfactory, etc. More than 90% of the individuals suffering from schizophrenia experience auditory or visual hallucinations at any given time. Hallucinations tend to worsen when the patient is alone or is sitting in a closed place such as a room, house, or a big hall. Visual hallucinations include the vision of loved ones, enemies, a celebrity, or a ghost. Auditory hallucinations are more common than visual hallucinations. The patient may misinterpret his own voice as coming from an outer source. This is the time when the person may be found talking to himself alone in the room.

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How To Cope With Schizophrenia

It must be kept in mind that schizophrenia is a treatable condition and the patient is able to lead a normal life after recovering from this disease. It is the duty of the family, friends, and society of the victim to understand the condition of the patient and try to help him in getting rid of this condition. Paying regular visits to psychiatrist is mandatory. Such patients are mainly treated with behavioral therapy, anti-psychotic medication, and anti-depressants. Proper medication, family support, and behavioral therapy sessions are found to be very helpful in coping with this disorder.

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The Prognosis Is Usually Good

Schizophrenia is a treatable condition at any stage and has a good prognosis. The catatonic type of schizophrenia can take a long time to improve, but it does recover completely with a good prognosis at the end. There are some misconceptions about schizophrenia which should be corrected. Some people think that schizophrenia is dangerous and irreversible but this is not the case. This disease can be dangerous if the person suffering from schizophrenia lives alone or is left alone in the room for long time. Patients can recover completely and live a normal life if they are given proper attention and good care.