Symptoms of Schizophrenia

by Rethink

(Page 2 of 4)

The symptoms of schizophrenia can be divided into two groups; positive and negative symptoms. Positive symptoms are those that are in addition to normal experiences and that people without schizophrenia will rarely experience. Negative symptoms those that involve a degree of loss of experience.

positive symptoms

* hallucinations and illusions

Hallucinations are perceptions that occur without connection to an appropriate source. Although hallucinations can occur in any sensory form - auditory (sound), visual (sight), tactile (touch), gustatory (taste) and olfactory (smell) - hearing voices that other people do not hear is the most common type of hallucination in schizophrenia. Voices are usually thoughts that are in the mind of the person. They can describe activities taking place, carry on a converation, warn of dangers, or even issue orders to to person. The thoughts can appear to be so loud that the person may believe that people nearby will also be able to hear them. The mind usually adjusts to this very rapidly and as a result the thoughts then appear to come from some external source. It is possible, using a medical imaging technique, to see changes in the speech area of the brain at the time when a person says that he is hearing the voices. This is a real experience, it is not imaginary.

Illusions, on the other hand, occur when a sensory stimulus is present but is incorrectly interpreted by an individual.

* delusions

Delusions are false personal beliefs that are not subject to reason or contradictory evidence and are not explained by a person's usual cultural beliefs. Delusions may take on different themes. For example, people suffering from paranoid-type symptoms - roughly one-third of people with schizophrenia - often have delusions of persecution, or false and irrational beliefs that they are being cheated, harassed, poisoned or conspired against. These people often believe that a member of their family or someone close to them is making them happen. Delusions of grandeur, in which a person believes he or she is a famous or important person, mnay also occur in schizophrenia. Sometimes the delusions experienced by people with schizophrenia are quite bizarre; for instance, believing that a neighbour is controlling thier behaviour with magnetic waves; that people on television are directing special messages to them; or that their thoughts are being broadcast aloud to others. A person experiencing delusions may try to keep them secret, knowing that others would not understand. Other individuals are gradually overwhelmed and begin to act strangely according to the content of the delusional explanations.

negative symptoms

In some cases, especially with hindsight, families may realise that their relative's behaviour has been changing over a period of time in subtle ways. He may for instance have become slower to think, talk and move, and may have become indifferent to social contact, his sleeping patterns may have changed so that he is happy to remain up all night and sleep all day. Body language may also be affected. These are the so-called 'negative symptoms': they will affect the person in a different way from the positive symptoms. The overall result is a reduction of motivation, the effect of which varies from minor to severe. Negative symptoms are much less dramatic than positive, but they then to be more persistent. Recognising these changes can be particularly difficult if the illness develops during teenage years when it is quite acceptable for changes in behaviour to occur, particularly where the young person is experimenting with new freedoms and lifestyles.

About the Author

www.rethink.org
Rethink is the largest severe mental illness charity in the UK. We are dedicated to improving the lives of everyone affected by severe mental illness, whether they have a condition themselves, care for others who do, or are professionals or volunteers working in the mental health field.