Signs and Symptoms of Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder characterized by hallucinations and delusions. There are many different symptoms of schizophrenia though not all of these will be present in every case and even in the case of a single individual these symptoms will change with time. Schizophrenia has a devastating effect on both the sufferer and his or her family.

The most commonly thought of symptoms when someone hears the diagnosis of schizophrenia are hallucinations and delusions. In schizophrenia, these are often paranoid, persecutory in nature and leave the sufferer feeling terrified. Hallucinations are anything which you perceive to be there with any of your senses but does not, in reality, exist. The most common hallucinations are auditory, such as hearing voices. Delusions are thoughts a person has which they believe to be true but clearly are not. For instance, if I tell you that aliens are sending me secret messages through the television which I must decode to save the Earth, I would suffering from a delusion.

The emotions of a person with schizophrenia are affected in various ways. The person may experience inappropriate emotions or lack of emotions. The person often feels, and may in reality be, quite isolated. As a result, he or she may also suffer from depression. Emotional issues surface and retreat throughout the course of illness and vary from one person to the next.

A schizophrenic may behave in odd or inappropriate ways. They can have difficulty concentrating, become catatonic or show aggressive behavior. They may demonstrate an inability or difficulty speaking, called poverty of thought, even when directly addressed by another person. The ability to participate in social activity is usually greatly diminished and others may be put off by the strange behaviors.

Additionally, those suffering from schizophrenia can have poor personal hygiene, failing to complete common daily tasks such as washing and brushing hair and teeth, or putting on clean clothes each day. Bathing may not be accomplished regularly. A schizophrenic may go months at a time without shaving or getting a haircut.

Finally, possibly the most heartbreaking, frustrating symptom of schizophrenia is lack of insight, technically known as anosognosia. A person with schizophrenia usually will not recognize that there is something wrong with them. Unlike those suffering from depression, anxiety disorders, or many other mental illnesses, the schizophrenic does not recognize their own symptoms, and may not seek or even accept treatment for their condition. Insight can sometimes be present, may increase over time, and may initially appear at the onset of medication treatment.

For a diagnosis of schizophrenia to be made, certain symptoms must be present for specific time lengths, as described in the Diagnositic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM). You may want to look into this subject further by completing an online assessment or testing tool to see if you are suffering from these symptoms. Please remember that this is not a substitute for speaking to a qualified professional about any problems you may be experiencing. It is never a good idea to self-diagnose, though these tools may help you determine if you need to investigate something further with an expert.