1. Look for a Loss of Emotions or Responses
Schizophrenia often varies from patient to patient and encompasses a number of different symptoms. Most signs of the condition can be grouped into one of three categories, however. The first category, negative symptoms, entails a "shutting down" or decrease in behavioral responses. These symptoms can include a lack of response to external stimuli, an inability to complete basic tasks like bathing or cooking a meal, a sense of social isolation, a noticeable lack of emotions and even a state of catatonia. Other conditions may exhibit similar negative symptoms (for instance, people suffering from depression may feel isolated or withdraw socially) but they are rarely connected with symptoms from the other two categories.
2. Recognize a Disconnect From Reality
The second category of schizophrenic symptoms is positive signs that often reflect an active delusion or hallucination on the part of the schizophrenic. He may develop paranoid episodes and believe people are out to get him, or start saying and doing inappropriate things in public, and his movements may become spastic or uncoordinated. Many schizophrenics report hearing voices, and have difficulty speaking or constructing thoughts. Visual hallucinations are not uncommon either. These incidents can have a dramatic effect on everyday life, including work activities and family interactions.
3. Watch for Cognitive Signs That Affect Memory
The last category of schizophrenic signs pertains to memory and attention span. Cognitive signs include an inability to remember things, difficulty with processing information, speaking in gibberish and problems with focusing on even the most basic tasks. Even more than symptoms in the other two categories, they can have a huge impact on your ability to function, and in the worst cases may require hospitalization.
Signs of schizophrenia range from mild to acute, and may come and go over the course of your lifetime. Schizophrenia is a more or less permanent condition, however. Once you have identified these signs, you need to take serious steps to address them.
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