Schizophrenia, a complex mental disorder, affects one in 100 people worldwide and 2.7 million Americans, according to The Merck Manuals Online Library. Symptoms often first appear in late adolescence in males and in the 20s or early 30s in women. Schizophrenia can have a slow, insidious progression or may start with full-blown symptoms. Early symptoms may persist for 12 to 24 months before people seek medical care, according to The Merck Manuals.
Social Behaviors
Withdrawal from normal social situations often marks the beginning of schizophrenia. A person may drop out of normal extracurricular activities, start having trouble at school or at work, or become indifferent even to important issues. Some people prefer to spend time alone, taking long walks or staying in their rooms. Many have trouble making friends or keeping them.
Emotional Symptoms
A person with early signs of schizophrenia may have a "flat affect," and don't seem to be able to experience pleasure, a condition called anhedonia, according to The Merck Manuals. The individual may become fearful, tense, anxious or extremely moody. Thoughts may become scattered and disorganized or may race from one topic to another, making concentration difficult.
Personality Changes
A person with early schizophrenia symptoms may express irrational views, become obsessed with religious matters and carry on seemingly deep conversations that really are not logical or coherent, HealthyPlace.com reports. He may start to dress eccentrically or have poor personal hygiene---not changing clothes or combing his hair. She may laugh inappropriately; talk in a stilted, childlike or nonsensical way; or start using drugs or alcohol. Some people develop an exaggerated sense of importance. A person might begin to sleep more than usual or may be unable to sleep at all. Unusual sensitivity to stimuli such as noise or lights may develop.
Bizarre Behaviors
A person with schizophrenia often becomes paranoid, thinking that people are watching, following or tormenting him. Some feel that others are controlling their behavior in some way and are able to read their thoughts or that some object has been placed on their body or implanted to get them to do certain things. Many have hallucinations---hearing voices that tell them to do things that are out of character, dangerous or bizarre. Hallucinations can be auditory, olfactory, visual or tactile, but auditory hallucinations occur most commonly, according to The Merck Manuals. Some people become catatonic, sitting without moving and staring into space. Confused thinking causes symptoms such as an inability to distinguish reality from something seen on television or delusions. Delusional thinking can lead a person to think that books, movies or magazines have secret messages just for them.
