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Mild Symptoms of Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is not a disease as much as it is a classification of brain disorders. Doctors offer a diagnosis of schizophrenia when they believe the brain interprets reality in an abnormal fashion. This includes hallucinations, abnormal thinking or behaviors, and paranoia, among other manifestations.

The disease ranges from extreme cases, where institutionalization is necessary, to milder cases, where the person can be treated with medication and be perfectly functional. The milder symptoms are harmless on their own, but when combined can be a signal of something more serious.

  1. Social Negativity

    • People suffering from schizophrenia often withdraw from social situations and maintain an overall negative outlook on life. This behavior is often related to the person's delusions about the people around him and their intentions.

    Flat Expression

    • The National Institute for Mental Health describes flat expression as immobile facial expression and monotonous voice. The lack of inflection in the voice and expression on the face are the result of a negative outlook on life.

    Poor Executive Function

    • Cognition does not escape the effects of schizophrenia. One of the more mild symptoms is poor executive functioning. This includes the ability to learn, analyze and retain information, and then carry out decisions based on that data. This can be mistaken for exhaustion or stress in some people, or, in more severe cases, depression.

    Attention Deficit

    • A mild and often misdiagnosed symptom involves attention span. A short attention span, or lack thereof, is often seen as a symptom of stress or distraction. When not combined with the other symptoms, it could be diagnosed as attention deficit disorder. But when in conjunction with the other symptoms, it could be a sign of schizophrenia.

    Personal Neglect

    • One of the hallmarks of schizophrenic behavior is neglecting oneself. Giving up on themselves is a mental marker of the disorder, but it also manifests itself in ignoring personal hygiene. Not bathing or shaving or just general neglect of personal hygiene is, when combined with other symptoms, a mild sign of schizophrenia.

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