Imagine

Imagine not being able to draw the line between what is and what isn't real. Imagine having auditory and visual hallucinations again and again, that were real to you, but no-one else understood. Imagine being unable to enjoy life at all and having no motivation to do so. Imagine never wanting relationships. Imagine being schizophrenic.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors

Schizophrenia is a complex illness. Mental health experts are not sure what causes it. However, hereditory factors appear to play a role.

• Certain environmental events may trigger schizophrenia in people who are genetically predisposed.
• People are more likely to develop schizophrenia if they have a family member with the psychosematic illness.

Schizophrenia affects both genders equally. It usually begins in the teen years or young adulthood, but may begin later in life. It tends to begin later in women than in men, and is more mild.
Childhood-onset schizophrenia begins after age 5. Childhood schizophrenia is rare and can be difficult to tell apart from other developmental disorders of childhood, such as autism.

Symptoms

Schizophrenia symptoms usually develop slowly over months or years. Sometimes you may have many symptoms, and at other times you may only have a few.

People with any type of schizophrenia may have difficulty keeping friends and working. They may also have problems with anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts or behaviours.

At first, you may have the following symptoms:

• Irritable or tense feeling
• Difficulty sleeping
• Difficulty concentrating

As the illness continues, problems with thinking, emotions and behaviour develop, including:

• Lack of emotion (flat affect)
• Strongly held beliefs that are not based in reality (delusions)
• Hearing or seeing things that are not there (hallucinations)
• Problems paying attention
• Thoughts "jump" between unrelated topics ( “loose associations”)
• Bizarre behaviours
• Social isolation

Symptoms can vary, depending on the type of schizophrenia you have.
Paranoid schizophrenia symptoms may include:

• Anxious
• Angry or argumentative
• False believes that others are trying to harm you or your loved ones.

Disorganised schizophrenia symptoms may include:

• Problems with thinking and expressing ideas clearly
• Childlike behaviour
• Showing little emotion

Catatonic schizophrenia symptoms may include:

• Lack of activity
• Muscles and posture may be rigid
• Grimaces or other odd expressions on the face
• Does not respond much to other people

Undifferentiated schizophrenia symptoms may include symptoms of more than one other type of schizophrenia.
People with residual schizophrenia have some symptoms, but not as many as those who are in a full-blown episode of schizophrenia.

Calling your health care provider

Call your health care provider if:

• Voices are telling you to hurt yourself or others.
• You feel the urge to hurt yourself or others.
• You are feeling hopeless or overwhelmed.
• You are seeing things that aren't really there.
• You feel you cannot leave the house.
• You are unable to care for yourself.