The Symptoms of Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is the most complex and difficult to understand of all the mental disorders known. It affects about one percent of the population and afflicts men and women almost equally. Close to 100,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. The disease can happen during anytime of one's life. Some people afflicted with the mental illness become withdrawn and anxious, while others become aggressive and violent. Some experience acute schizophrenia which makes them psychotic and experience psychotic episodes during their lives.

Some of the known symptoms that can be experienced are: disordered thinking, hallucinations, delusions, inappropriate emotions, and withdrawal.

Disordered thinking - This causes the person not to think straight for hours. Their thinking may be fragmented, disoriented, and without logic.
Hallucinations - The person may often hear voices telling them what to do or what not to do, dictating their behavior and activities. They also will see things that are not seen by others. In both instances, they believe the voices and the images are real to them.
Delusions - Delusions come in the form of a belief to the person that they are someone they are not, believe they can do something that is humanely impossible, or believe that other's activities or behaviors are a severe threat to them.
Inappropriate emotions - One will experience a wide range of extreme emotions - anger, withdrawn. But also the person may laugh, cry, or speak at inappropriate times. They also may not show any emotion at all at times when emotion should be shown.
Withdrawal - Many people who suffer schizophrenia withdraw socially and emotionally. They experience a lack of motivation, interest in personal relationships, and personal cares.

Unfortunately there are no medical cures for schizophrenia. Medication is given to "normalize" the person. The symptoms listed above will help others recognize and understand what is going on with a person who is afflicted with schizophrenia.