When literally translated from its Greek roots, the word “schizophrenia” means “split mind.” It is this translation that has led many people to confuse multiple personality disorder with schizophrenia. While they are so similar that scientists used to classify MPD as a form of schizophrenia, it has since been proven that the two diseases are actually independent of each other. This article is going to give a basic rundown of the signs of schizophrenia.

Delusions are very common signs of schizophrenia with people suffering from signs of schizophrenia. Delusion is the word that is given to beliefs that the schizophrenic has that other people do not also have. An example of this is the belief that somehow their internal thoughts are being broadcast for the rest of the world to hear. Delusions can also come in the form of thinking that they are being hunted down by an outside entity. Sometimes delusions come in the form of the schizophrenic believing that he or she has super powers and super abilities that they do not actually have.

Hallucinations are another of the common signs of schizophrenia. Hallucinations are typically in the form of voices heard by the person who is suffering from the disease. The voices come from outside of the schizophrenic’s head (this is one of the major differences between multiple personality disorder and schizophrenia). Sometimes the voices do not have a physical point of origin. Sometimes the voices come from something that would not ordinarily be talking and sometimes the voices come from people that only the schizophrenic can see and hear. These hallucinations often encourage or influence the schizophrenic’s behaviour. Sometimes the hallucinations take on other sensations like smells and tastes.

Disorganized thinking and languages are more of the common signs of schizophrenia. People who suffer from schizophrenia will sometimes talk in ways that are difficult for other people to understand. Their thoughts will sometimes stop following a coherent pattern and their speech can vary wildly. Schizophrenics will often talk about several subjects at the same time but will not connect the subjects to a central theme. They will skip from subject to subject without warning.

There are a multitude of other signs of schizophrenia. Schizophrenics are often depressed, prone to mood swings and have problems connecting with other people. They can be very withdrawn. Schizophrenics will have a hard time going about their daily tasks like bathing, getting dressed and eating. Some other signs of schizophrenia include problems with movement. There is a form of schizophrenia called Catatonic schizophrenia. With catatonic schizophrenia, the patient can be just as likely to stop moving altogether as they are to experience erratic and uncontrollable movement.

Most of the signs of schizophrenia are also associated with other mental disorders and because of this, the disease can be hard to diagnose. The key to getting treatment is to see a professional as soon as possible if you or someone you know starts to exhibit signs of schizophrenia.

Tip #1

Schizophrenia is not the same thing as having multiple personality disorder. In multiple personality disorder a person has a number of independent identities that all share one host body. Typically one of the personalities is dominant and the others exist under the surface. With Schizophrenia, there could be independent personalities but the person suffering from the disease believes that these identities exist outside of him or herself.

Causes of Schizophrenia

Experts now agree that schizophrenia develops as a result of interplay between biological predisposition (for example, inheriting certain genes) and the kind of environment a person is exposed to. These lines of research are converging: brain development disruption is now known to be the result of genetic predisposition and environmental stressors early in development (during pregnancy or early childhood), leading to subtle alterations in the brain that make a person susceptible to developing schizophrenia.

It’s not known what causes schizophrenia. However, researchers believe that an interaction of genetics and environment may cause schizophrenia. Problems with certain naturally occurring brain chemicals, including the neurotransmitters dopamine and glutamate, also may contribute to schizophrenia.

Symtoms Of Schizophrenia

Bizarre or inappropriate behaviour
Preoccupation with spiritual matters
Incoherent illogical speech

Distorted Perceptions of Reality

People with schizophrenia may have perceptions of reality that are strikingly different from the reality seen and shared by others around them. Living in a world distorted by hallucinations and delusions, individuals with schizophrenia may feel frightened, anxious, and confused.

Cognitive symptoms (or cognitive deficits) are problems with attention, certain types of memory, and the executive functions that allow us to plan and organize. Cognitive deficits can also be difficult to recognize as part of the disorder but are the most disabling in terms of leading a normal life.

Over time, it becomes difficult to function in daily life. You may not be able to go to work or school. You may have troubled relationships, partly because of difficulty reading social cues or others’ emotions. You may lose interest in activities you once enjoyed.

Diagnosing Schizophrenia

Using mental state features alone (such as third person auditory hallucinations) is not a reliable way to diagnose schizophrenia. After all, psychotic features such as hallucinations and delusions can occur in affective disorders, dementia and acute organic psychoses. It is therefore important to look at the form of the illness as well as the content.

Treatment of Schizophrenia

Patients with schizophrenia often do not respond to treatment or only partially improve and remain functionally impaired. While medication has been found to be effective for the treatment of “positive” symptoms of the disease, treatment of the “negative symptoms” of depression (including lack of energy, motivation, and emotional range) has historically not been very successful. In nearly 25 percent of those patients, the condition is so refractory to neuroleptic pharmacotherapy that they require custodial care.

First, ensure that your loved one is taking prescribed medications. One of the most common reasons that people with schizophrenia relapse into a new episode is that they quit taking medication. Family members might see much improvement and mistakenly assume medications may no longer be needed. That is a disastrous assumption. A later psychotic outbreak will likely happen

The large majority of people with schizophrenia show substantial improvement when treated with antipsychotic drugs. Some patients, however, are not helped very much by the medications and a few do not seem to need them.

Therapy of Schizophrenia

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy has been shown to be good for a person with schizophrenia.
Psychodynamic therapy is quite controversial. The actual therapy does not seem to work so well.
When a person suffers from schizophrenia, it is helpful for the whole family to get support. This usually reduces stress and worry, and helps people cope.