Schizophrenia is a brain disorder that affects the way a person behaves, thinks, and observes the world. The mainly general form is paranoid schizophrenia, or schizophrenia with paranoia as it’s regularly called. People with paranoid schizophrenia have a distorted observation of reality. They may see or hear things that don’t be real, speak in weird or confusing ways, believe that others are trying to hurt them, or feel like they’re being continuously watched.
This can reason relationship troubles, interrupt usual daily activities like bathing, eating and lead to alcohol and drug abuse in an attempt to self-medicate. Many people with schizophrenia depart from the outside world, act out in confusion and fear, and are at an increased risk of attempting suicide, particularly during psychotic episodes, periods of depression, and in the first six months after initial cure. Schizophrenia is a difficult disorder that often makes it complex to discern between what is real and unreal, to think plainly, control emotions, relate to others, and function usually.
The most general early warning signs include:
- Depression, social withdrawal
- Hostility or suspiciousness, excessive response to criticism
- Deterioration of personal cleanliness
- Flat, expressionless gaze
- Inability to cry or express joy or inappropriate laughter or crying
- Oversleeping or insomnia; forgetful, unable to concentrate
- Odd or irrational statements; strange use of words or way of speaking
Symptoms of schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a brain disease resulting from an inequity in chemical systems of the brain. Schizophrenia does not signify having a split character.
Symptoms generally expand slowly, but can also emerge suddenly. Friends and family habitually observe the symptoms first.
Major symptoms:
Delusions – The patient has fake beliefs which can acquire many forms, such as delusions of persecution, or delusions of grandeur. They may feel others are attempting to control them through remote control. Or, they may believe they have amazing powers and gifts.
Hallucinations – hearing voices is much further general than seeing, feeling, tasting, or smelling things which are not there, however, people with schizophrenia may experience a wide range of hallucinations.
Thought disorder – the person may jump from one subject to another for no logical reason.
Symptoms may include:
- changes in reactivity to the environment
- lack of expression or emotion
- poor attention
- speech that is short and missing details
- complexity planning to achieve goals
- memory troubles
- confused thinking and talking
- complexity carrying on a discussion
- repetitive movements such as pacing
- Behavior that does not make sense.
What causes schizophrenia?
Nobody has been competent to identify one single cause. Experts consider some factors are usually involved in contributing to the onset of schizophrenia.
Evidence suggests that genetic and environmental factors act together to bring about schizophrenia. The situation has an inherited component, but it is also considerably influenced by environmental triggers.
Below is a list of the factors that are consideration to contribute towards the onset of schizophrenia:
Genes: If there is no history of schizophrenia in a family, the chances of developing it are less than 1 percent. However, that risk rises to 10 percent if a parent was diagnosed.
Chemical imbalance in the brain: Experts believe that an imbalance of dopamine, a neurotransmitter, is involved in the onset of schizophrenia. Other neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, may also be involved.
Family relationships: Although there is no evidence to prove or even indicate that family relationships might cause schizophrenia, some patients with the illness believe family tension triggers relapses.
Environment: Although there is no definite proof, many suspect that prenatal or perinatal trauma and viral infections may contribute to the development of the disease.
Traumatic experiences frequently precede the appearance of schizophrenia. Before any keen symptoms are apparent, people with schizophrenia usually become bad-tempered, anxious, and unfocused. This can trigger relationship troubles, divorce, and idleness.
Schizophrenia diagnosis
A schizophrenia diagnosis is reached by observing the actions of the patient. If the doctor suspects probable schizophrenia, they will need to know about the patient’s medical and psychiatric history.
Certain tests will be ordered to rule out other illnesses and conditions that may trigger schizophrenia-like symptoms. Examples of some of the tests may include:
- Blood tests
- Imaging studies – to rule out tumors and problems in the structure of the brain
- Psychological evaluation – a specialist will assess the patient’s mental state by asking about thoughts, moods, hallucinations, suicidal traits, violent tendencies or potential for violence, as well as observing their demeanor and appearance.
