Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder impacting a person’s cognition, emotions, and actions. Individuals with schizophrenia may appear disconnected from reality, causing distress for themselves and their loved ones. Symptoms of schizophrenia can hinder participation in everyday tasks, but effective treatments exist. With proper care, many individuals with schizophrenia can pursue education or employment, attain independence, and maintain fulfilling relationships.

Psychotic symptoms encompass alterations in a person’s thought processes, behaviors, and perception of reality. Those experiencing psychotic symptoms may diverge from a shared understanding of reality and perceive the world in a distorted manner. While these symptoms may fluctuate for some individuals, they may stabilize over time for others. Common psychotic symptoms include:

• Hallucinations are sensory perceptions of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, or feeling things that do not exist. Auditory hallucinations, such as hearing voices, are prevalent among individuals with schizophrenia, often unnoticed by family or friends for an extended period of time.
• Delusions: strongly held false beliefs that appear irrational to others. For instance, individuals with delusions may believe they receive special messages from radio or television broadcasts or perceive imminent danger or threats from others.
• Thought disorder: unconventional or illogical thought patterns. Those with thought disorder may struggle to organize their thoughts and speech, exhibit abrupt pauses in conversation, shift rapidly between topics, or coin nonsensical words.
• Movement disorder: abnormal bodily movements, often characterized by repetitive motions. Individuals with movement disorders may engage in repetitive gestures or motions.

Negative symptoms encompass a decline in motivation, diminished interest or enjoyment in daily pursuits, withdrawal from social engagements, difficulty expressing emotions, and impaired functioning. They entail:

• Challenges in planning and executing activities, such as grocery shopping.
• Difficulty experiencing pleasure or anticipation in everyday life.
• Speaking in a monotonous tone and displaying limited facial expressions.
• Avoidance of social interactions or engaging in socially awkward behaviors.
• Persistent fatigue and engagement in passive activities. In severe cases, individuals may exhibit catatonia, which is characterized by prolonged periods of immobility or silence.

These symptoms are occasionally misinterpreted as indicative of depression or other mental health conditions.