Schizophrenia is a chronic brain disorder that afflicts approximately 2.4 million American adults each year. It usually develops in early adulthood and appears to have a genetic basis because family members of patients with schizophrenia, particularly identical twins, are at increased risk of having the disorder themselves. Scientists have not identified any single gene as responsible but believe it may result from rare genetic mutations, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
Schizophrenia presents with many different symptoms because several different forms of the disorder exist, including the paranoid type (characterized by extreme suspicions), disorganized type (with predominant disorganized speech and behavior) and catatonic type (with movement abnormalities). According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association (APA), core features of schizophrenia common to most forms of the illness include hallucinations, disorganized thoughts and behavior, delusions and negative symptoms.
Hallucinations
Hallucinations present as sensory perceptions of something that no one else perceives. These could include seeing objects or people that are not there, hearing voices when no one is nearby, or feeling sensations on the skin in the absence of a stimulus. Hearing voices, the most common type of hallucination in schizophrenia, sometimes presents as a single voice talking to the person or several voices talking about the person, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
Disorganized Thoughts and Behavior
According to the APA, a person with schizophrenia has difficulty organizing her thoughts and resulting behavior. She may demonstrate "loose associations," in which her train of thought becomes derailed. Her answers to questions may focus on totally unrelated ideas inappropriate to the conversation. Sometimes speech may become so disorganized as to be incomprehensible, known as "word salad."
Behaviors may also appear markedly disorganized. Common forms of behavioral disorganization include childlike silliness and unpredictable agitation, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Delusions
Delusions are beliefs not based in reality, and they comprise the most common of schizophrenia symptoms, according to the Mayo Clinic. The content of delusions can range widely in theme, including beliefs of being persecuted, beliefs that personal messages are being transmitted by inanimate objects, and grandiose ideas about oneself, according to the APA. To be diagnosable, these delusions must be deemed as "bizarre," the definition of which may vary from culture to culture.
Negative Symptoms
Negative symptoms are characterized by an absence of normal behaviors. They include a lack of emotional expressiveness; a lack of verbalization; and a lack of voluntary, purposeful movements, according to the APA.
The lack of emotional expression manifests commonly as an immobile face, poor eye contact and lack of body language. Lack of verbalization manifests as empty and brief responses to questions. A person with schizophrenia may demonstrate limited voluntary movements by not initiating goal-directed behaviors or not participating in work or social activities, according to the APA.
References
- National Institute of Mental Health: The Numbers Count -- Mental Disorders in America
- National Institute of Mental Health: What Causes Schizophrenia?
- Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; American Psychiatric Association; 2000
- National Institute of Mental Health: What are Symptoms of Schizophrenia?
- Mayo Clinic: Schizophrenia Symptoms
