Schizophrenia, like many mental illnesses, is often incredibly misunderstood. The stigma around mental illness and a wide range of available misinformation and misrepresentation in the media can make schizophrenia hard to understand. Schizophrenia is very real, like any other illness, and very serious, because it affects the ability to function socially, and can affect how a person perceives the world around them. Here is some basic information to help you understand and identify schizophrenia easier.
Some Symptoms of Schizophrenia
To be diagnosed with schizophrenia, a person’s social functioning must have declined over a period of at least six months – this could mean an effect on self-care, social relationships, or problems at work or school. Symptoms of schizophrenia are broken into three groups:
- Positive: These symptoms are about perceptions, thoughts and behaviors which people with schizophrenia have, which are not present in most of the general population.
- Hallucinations
- Delusions, or false beliefs
- Thinking disturbances – if the person’s speech is difficult to follow or understand
- Negative: These are the symptoms which are typically present in people who do not suffer from schizophrenia.
- Blunted affect: The person’s expressiveness is reduced, as are their gestures
- Apathy: Not motivated toward activities or pursuing goals
- Anhedonia: Experiencing little or no pleasure from activities they once enjoyed
- Many others
- Other: These cover any other symptoms not covered in the other two categories.
- Substance abuse, possibly as an attempt to control symptoms
- Depression
- Suicidal thoughts
- Labile mood: A quickly-switching mood
- Hostility and Anger
What Causes Schizophrenia?
The actual causes of schizophrenia are unknown. It is possibly a chemical imbalance – likely of dopamine – that is suspected by scientists. There are genetic factors and factors that a baby can be exposed to that are typically looked at as factors that can contribute to developing schizophrenia. There are some viruses that a mother can have that may cause brain damage in their child, that only shows up later in that child’s life.
How is Schizophrenia Treated?
Since schizophrenia is not necessarily consistently and obviously present, it needs to be monitored and treated with the right medications. No medication is a cure, but antipsychotics are typically prescribed to help prevent relapses and reduce symptoms of schizophrenia. As with many illnesses, support from peers and loved ones can benefit the person suffering from schizophrenia. Family therapy may also be a way to help monitor and assist in a family with coping with the presence of schizophrenia. Visiting a healthcare professional will help determine the best path
Is Schizophrenia Common?
Approximately one in one hundred people develop schizophrenia at some point in their life time. While one percent of people doesn’t sound like a lot, this does make schizophrenia one of the more common mental illnesses out there.
What Schizophrenia Isn’t
Schizophrenia is not dissociative identity disorder (formerly known as “multiple personality disorder”), wherein the person suffering from the illness feels they are living with multiple identities inside their own head.