Schizophrenia is a medical term used to describe a group of severe brain disorders that affect mental and emotional responses. Previously healthy patients who develop sudden symptoms of schizophrenia over a short period of time may be diagnosed with acute schizophrenia. Acute schizophrenia symptoms can prove disturbing and should be evaluated by a doctor if they occur.
Hallucinations
Patients with acute schizophrenia frequently develop abnormal hallucinations as a symptom of this condition. Hallucinations can be visual, auditory or physical, such as seeing, hearing or feeling people, voices or sensations that no one else can perceive, explain health officials at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), a division of the National Institutes of Health. Acute schizophrenic patients may appear to interact with these hallucinations by speaking aloud to people they see or complaining about smells or sensations that no one else can detect. Hallucinations can persist for several weeks and may then disappear in patients with the acute form of this brain disorder. These symptoms can reemerge recurrently throughout an acute schizophrenic patient's life.
Mood Disturbances
Acute schizophrenia can cause severe mood disturbances to develop in affected patients as a symptom of this condition. An acute schizophrenic patient can become unusually anxious, euphoric, irritable or depressed, explain health officials at NetDoctor, an informational health website supported by doctors and health professionals in the United Kingdom and Europe. Patients with this condition can also frequently exhibit inappropriate emotional responses, such as laughing at unpleasant news.
Delusions
Delusions can occur as a symptom of acute schizophrenia in certain patients, explain health officials at Discovery Health, a website supported by the Discovery Channel. A delusion is a false belief about a particular aspect of a patient's life, such as a belief that a neighbor or colleague is trying to harm them in some way. These delusions are typically bizarre and illogical and can persist throughout an acute schizophrenic patient's life, warn NIMH health officials.
Thought or Movement Disorders
Patients with acute schizophrenia can develop thought or movement disorders as symptoms of this condition. Acute schizophrenia can result in memory impairment, poor attention or unusual speech patterns in affected patients, explain medical officials at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore. Movement disorders, such as repeating particular motions incessantly or becoming completely unresponsive (catatonia), can also occur in patients with this condition, reports NIMH. These disorders can significantly interfere with a patient's ability to interact with other people on a daily basis. Certain acute schizophrenic patients can sometimes control these symptoms through the use of specific medications while under the care of a doctor.
