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What are the symptoms of Schizophrenia? |
What are the symptoms of Schizophrenia? Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe, and disabling brain disorder that has been recognized throughout recorded history. People with schizophrenia may hear voices other people don't hear or they may believe that others are reading their minds, controlling their thoughts, or plotting to harm them. These experiences are terrifying and can cause fearfulness, withdrawal, or extreme agitation. People with schizophrenia may not make sense when they talk, may sit for hours without moving or talking much, or may seem perfectly fine until they talk about what they are really thinking. Because many people with schizophrenia have difficulty holding a job or caring for themselves, the burden on their families and society is significant as well. What are the symptoms of schizophrenia? http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/schizop... The symptoms of schizophrenia fall into three broad categories: POSITIVE SYMPTOMS are easy-to-spot behaviors not seen in healthy people and usually involve a loss of contact with reality. They include hallucinations, delusions, thought disorder, and disorders of movement. Positive symptoms can come and go. Sometimes they are severe and at other times hardly noticeable, depending on whether the individual is receiving treatment *Hallucinations. A hallucination is something a person sees, hears, smells, or feels that no one else can see, hear, smell, or feel. "Voices" are the most common type of hallucination in schizophrenia. Many people with the disorder hear voices that may comment on their behavior, order them to do things, warn them of impending danger, or talk to each other (usually about the patient). They may hear these voices for a long time before family and friends notice that something is wrong. Other types of hallucinations include seeing people or objects that are not there, smelling odors that no one else detects (although this can also be a symptom of certain brain tumors), and feeling things like invisible fingers touching their bodies when no one is near. *Delusions. Delusions are false personal beliefs that are not part of the person's culture and do not change, even when other people present proof that the beliefs are not true or logical. People with schizophrenia can have delusions that are quite bizarre, such as believing that neighbors can control their behavior with magnetic waves, people on television are directing special messages to them, or radio stations are broadcasting their thoughts aloud to others. They may also have delusions of grandeur and think they are famous historical figures. People with paranoid schizophrenia can believe that others are deliberately cheating, harassing, poisoning, spying upon, or plotting against them or the people they care about. These beliefs are called delusions of persecution. *Thought Disorder. People with schizophrenia often have unusual thought processes. One dramatic form is disorganized thinking, in which the person has difficulty organizing his or her thoughts or connecting them logically. Speech may be garbled or hard to understand. Another form is "thought blocking," in which the person stops abruptly in the middle of a thought. When asked why, the person may say that it felt as if the thought had been taken out of his or her head. Finally, the individual might make up unintelligible words, or "neologisms." *Disorders of Movement. People with schizophrenia can be clumsy and uncoordinated. They may also exhibit involuntary movements and may grimace or exhibit unusual mannerisms. They may repeat certain motions over and over or, in extreme cases, may become catatonic. Catatonia is a state of immobility and unresponsiveness. It was more common when treatment for schizophrenia was not available; fortunately, it is now rare. NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS represent a loss or a decrease in the ability to initiate plans, speak, express emotion, or find pleasure in everyday life. These symptoms are harder to recognize as part of the disorder and can be mistaken for laziness or depression. The term "negative symptoms" refers to reductions in normal emotional and behavioral states. These include the following: * flat affect (immobile facial expression, monotonous voice), * lack of pleasure in everyday life, * diminished ability to initiate and sustain planned activity, and * speaking infrequently, even when forced to interact. People with schizophrenia often neglect basic hygiene and need help with everyday activities. Because it is not as obvious that negative symptoms are part of a psychiatric illness, people with schizophrenia are often perceived as lazy and unwilling to better their lives. 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. Cognitive symptoms are subtle and are often detected only when neuropsychological tests are performed. They include the following: * poor "executive functioning" (the ability to absorb and interpret information and make decisions based on that information), * inability to sustain attention, and * problems with "working memory" (the ability to keep recently learned information in mind and use it right away) Cognitive impairments often interfere with the patient's ability to lead a normal life and earn a living. They can cause great emotional distress. Source(s): http://360.yahoo.com/jamie_hassen... http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/schizop... Schizophrenia has three categories symptoms fall into: positive, negative, or cognitive. Positive symptoms: Hallucinations, delusions, and thought disorder 鈥?The most common hallucination is hearing voices but the other senses can also be involved. A Schizophrenic can think they see, hear, smell, or feel someone else around them. 鈥?A delusion is a false personal belief. A Schizophrenic can believe their family is always plotting against them to a person on television telling them to buy a product. 鈥?An example of a thought disorder is when a Schizophrenic has a difficult time organizing their thoughts and when they begin to speak; their speech is slurred or hard to understand. Some sufferers will make up words to explain their thoughts. Negative symptoms: Decrease desire to speak, express emotion, or find pleasure in everyday life. These symptoms can be mistaken for laziness or depression. 鈥?A Schizophrenic's inability to make and stick to a planned activity, not interacting with others, and not enjoying everyday life is a strong sign. Also when the sufferer speaks, their voice is monotone and no emotional or facial expressions occur. Cognitive symptoms: Focus, memory, and functions which allow a person to plan or organize become lost. These symptoms can only be found when neuropsychological tests are done. 鈥?A Schizophrenic cannot absorb and interpret information and come to a conclusion. 鈥?The difficult to retain and use information makes it difficult for a Schizophrenic to keep a daily job. Hearing voices, irrational fears, seeing imaginary people or things. Symptoms of Schizophrenia In healthy people, the brain functions in such a way that incoming stimuli are sorted and interpreted, followed by a logical response (e.g., saying "thank you" after a gift is given, realizing the potential outcome of arriving late to work, etc.). Conversely, the inability of patients with schizophrenia to sort and interpret stimuli and select appropriate responses is one of the hallmarks of the disease. The symptoms of schizophrenia are generally divided into three categories, including positive, disorganized, and negative symptoms. Overt Symptoms, or "psychotic" symptoms, include delusions, hallucinations and disorganized thinking because the patient has lost touch with reality in certain important ways. Delusions cause the patient to believe that people are reading their minds or plotting against them, that others are secretly monitoring and threatening them, or that they can control other people鈥檚 thoughts. Hallucinations cause people to hear or see things that are not there. Approximately three-fourths of individuals with schizophrenia will hear voices (auditory hallucinations) at some time during their illness. Disorganized thinking, speech, and behavior affect most people with this illness. For example, people with schizophrenia sometimes have trouble communicating in coherent sentences or carrying on conversations with others; move more slowly, repeat rhythmic gestures or make movements such as walking in circles or pacing; and have difficulty making sense of everyday sights, sounds and feelings. Negative Symptoms include emotional flatness or lack of expression, an inability to start and follow through with activities, speech that is brief and lacks content, and a lack of pleasure or interest in life. "Negative" does not, therefore, refer to a person鈥檚 attitude, but to a lack of certain characteristics that should be there. http://www.psychlaws.org/generalresource... Asking about its simptoms and caring for other麓s treatment not own. Third is brutalising calm with dishonor. |
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