People who suffer from schizophrenia require life-long treatment, because there is no cure for this serious mental illness. Approximately one in every 100 people in the world has this disorder, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. There are two main types of symptoms which fall into two categories: positive and negative. Mental health professionals have a hard time diagnosing anyone in the early stages of schizophrenia, because often patients don't meet the criteria. However, there are early warning signs of this disease.
Emotional Symptoms
Before a person with schizophrenia experiences hallucinations and delusions, he might have other emotional symptoms such as lack of pleasure and lack of feeling. At first the person might appear as if he suffers from depression. He might isolate himself from his friends and family members, stop participating in things that he used to enjoy such as golfing on the weekends and seem indifferent when it comes to important dates such as an anniversary.
The person's mood will change. He might appear irritable on a regular basis, start arguments with coworkers and loved ones, experience anxiety and have thoughts of suicide. He'll probably complain that he doesn't feel like himself, and family members will notice a dramatic shift in his mood.
Physical Symptoms
Hallucinations, delusions, disorganized speech, disorganized behavior and negative symptoms such as lack of emotional expression are the main symptoms of schizophrenia, according to HelpGuide.org. Before these symptoms occur, the person may have trouble sleeping, become clumsier, experience involuntary movements and stare with infrequent blinking.
Behavioral Symptoms
The most obvious symptoms that friends and family members will notice are behavioral symptoms. When someone starts to suffer from a serious mental illness such as schizophrenia, her behaviors will change. They might start small. For instance, the person might wear the same outfit to work two days in a row or forget to shower before her birthday party. As the disease gets worse, she might wear the same outfit for an entire week and stop showering until someone intervenes.
Another sign that someone is schizophrenic is a decline in school and work performance. Grades might decline, or the person might stop turning in projects on time at work. Also, the person will start responding to things in an inappropriate manner. For instance, she might start laughing when a friend tells her that she found out her husband is cheating on her.
Stress will become unbearable. In the past, the person might have been able to handle stress in healthy ways such as exercising and meditating. Now the person can't handle the smallest inconveniences. She might start using drugs and alcohol to cope with stress and feelings of depression.
