Schizophrenia is a chronic mental disorder that affects around 2.5 million of Americans. The word "schizophrenia" literally translates to "split mind", but it does not actually refer to split personality or multiple personalities. It refers to the disruption in emotion and cognition. Commonly, the symptoms start to develop at from age of 13 to 25. Men usually show the warning signs in their teens or 20s, while women show symptoms when they are in their 20s or early 30s. What are schizophrenia symptoms? The warning signs are classified into three categories: positive, negative and cognitive symptoms.
Positive Symptoms
Patients show positive symptoms when their perception of reality does not exist in the real world. Delusions are one of them; the term refers to the distorted belief that the sufferer strongly holds. One can experience something that is called "delusion of grandeur". This happens when one believes that he or she is well known or has extraordinary powers. Delusions can also be a belief about being followed or being controlled by someone or something. Besides delusions, hallucinations are also categorized as a positive symptom. Hallucinations are disturbances of the perception; usually people experiencing this symptom will see or hear something that is not there. Difficulty in speaking and disorganized behavior are also categorized into this group of symptoms. People suffering from schizophrenia often speak only a little even when they are urged to interact.
Negative Symptoms
Negative symptoms are the absence of the characteristics of normal function. Compared to the positive ones, they are less apparent, and therefore are more difficult to identify. Patients will experience loss of motivation, sense of apathy, social withdrawal, and more. Patients may also show changes in expressing the emotions.
Cognitive Symptoms
Just like the negative symptoms, cognitive symptoms are also hard to identify as they are subtle. They include difficulty in focusing attention, as well as difficulty in understanding information and not knowing how to use them to make decisions. These symptoms can cause emotional distress and sufferers who experience cognitive symptoms will find it difficult to live a normal life.
Those are some common schizophrenia symptoms that you should know. People who are suffering from this debilitating condition need immediate medical attention, but they may not even know that they have it. Thus, it would be your responsibility to find professional help when you find out that your family members or friends are suffering from this mental disorder.
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