Schizophrenia: Types & Facts

Schizophrenia is a treatable mental illness. Schizophrenia interferes with a person's ability to think clearly, manage emotions, make decisions and relate to others. Its symptoms vary in degree of severity among sufferers.

Misconceptions

• Schizophrenia patients are wrongly feared by people because they are thought to be violent. Schizophrenia patients not receiving treatment can become violent but those who are in treatment do not necessarily exhibit that kind of behavior.

Signs

• Delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thinking, agitation and disorganized speech are all signs of schizophrenia. Catatonic behavior, lack of drive or initiative, social withdrawal, apathy and emotional unresponsiveness are other signs.

Cause

• Schizophrenics often have defects in brain structure that doctors believe is a cause of the disease. This is believed to happen at birth or caused by a virus.

Diagnosis

• Doctors have determined that there are three sets of characteristics seen in schizophrenics. These are positive, which are psychotic symptoms; negative, which refer to missing human traits; and cognitive, which are problems with logic and thinking.

Treatment

• Treatment for schizophrenia includes antipsychotic medications, psychotherapy, behavioral therapy and residential training. Treatment is lifelong and changes with the progression of the disease.

Time Frame

• Schizophrenia is usually diagnosed in men who are in their late teens to early 20s. Schizophrenia is usually diagnosed in women in their 20s and 30s, and although it is rare, it can be diagnosed in children.