Schizophrenia is a term that is well recognized in psychology and mental health but not well understood
Schizophrenia has many misconceptions,
that include violent and aggressive split personalities and unpredictable behaviors
But what is schizophrenia really?
What are the symptoms of schizophrenia?
And what do people with schizophrenia actually experience?
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The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual also known as the DSM
is the manual used by psychologists and psychiatrists to diagnose
psychiatric illnesses to meet the DSM criteria
For schizophrenia a person needs to experience two or more of the following for at least one month
Delusions, hallucinations ,disorganized speech, chaotic behavior, and any form of negative symptoms
Types of symptoms there are two types of symptoms with schizophrenia
Positive and negative positive symptoms refer to things that occurred due to schizophrenia
And negative symptoms refer to things that are taken away from an individual due to schizophrenia
Positive symptoms
Positive symptoms are when someone with schizophrenia
Experiences a change in behavior. They may have difficulties in telling what is real and what is not real
They may also experience exaggerated ideas perceptions or actions
negative symptoms
Negative symptoms can include a withdraw or lack of effective functions
these symptoms usually appear very early on
before any formal diagnosis of schizophrenia
They appear gradually and often get worse
at times these negative symptoms can be hard to identify and are evident
Only after a diagnosis is recognized as a result
These symptoms can often lead to confusion
with initial diagnosis as it can often result in people being diagnosed with something else before
schizophrenia
delusions
Delusions are an example of positive symptoms and consist of false beliefs not based on reality
They might include thoughts of being harmed or being under threat
They may also include thoughts or belief systems that seem odd to other people and can easily be disproved
For example, someone might believe that people are trying to brainwash them through their TV
or that the FBI is following them
hallucinations
Hallucinations is another example of a positive symptom where people see
Hear, feel or smell things that are not there such as hearing voices
Different forms of hallucinations include audio
where voices can appear comforting supportive or harmful and saddening
Seeing where someone might see lights objects of people that are not there
smells where people might smell things good or bad that are not there and
Feel which can be a wide range of things
but ultimately means that people at times feel that something is under their skin
Disorganized thinking and speaking
This is where someone can experience impaired effective communication
where people might have difficulty in following along with their
Conversation or they might have difficulty following other people's conversations
They may also have difficulty in making sense
when speaking to others this disorganized thinking
and speaking patterns are often a result of cognitive distortions brought about by
schizophrenia
Disorganize an abnormal motor behavior.
This is where motor behavior can change in dramatic ways and on a variety of levels
Someone might present with very childlike silly behavior to unpredictable agitation
People can appear jumpy and on edge
and can also have difficulties in organizing and understanding their thoughts
Now on to negative symptoms loss of interest in things
This negative symptom might include the loss of interest in things that a person once enjoyed such as sex
relationships leisure activities or social events
lack of concentration
This may include a lack of concentration at work or in social settings
people may become reluctant to work or feel
Incapable of completing basic tasks due to this impairment with concentration
social phobia
Social phobia might include someone not wanting to speak to people being uneasy or uncomfortable in social
Situations or being difficult in initiating conversations.
It can even result in a person not wanting to leave their house
Changes in sleep patterns
This can be a combination of many changes in sleep patterns
It could include someone sleeping more than normal sleeping less or having extreme
Irregularities to their sleeping patterns such as sleeping during the day and unable to sleep at night
in summary
Schizophrenia can include many different symptoms some harder to identify than others
Positive and negative symptoms include the presence and absence of symptoms
all of which make up a diagnosis of schizophrenia
If you feel that you or someone, you know may be exhibiting some of the symptoms of schizophrenia
Then be sure to go and see your doctor to seek medical advice first
speaking to a therapist is also highly beneficial
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