There are three main types of schizophrenia that all share common symptoms. The three main types include paranoid type, disorganized type and catatonic type. According to HelpGuide.org, schizophrenia is a disorder that affects the brain and how a person thinks and acts. Schizophrenia can wreak havoc on a woman's life, and the treatment is usually long-term including medication and therapy. Schizophrenia.com reports that men usually show symptoms in their teens and early twenties; however, women can develop the disorder later.
Early Signs
When a woman first begins to display signs of schizophrenia, she'll probably appear different to friends and family members. She will probably spend less time with friends, become suspicious and seem disorganized. If a family member asks about the woman's behavior, she might seem irritable and become defensive. A woman who regularly displays good hygiene might not shower for a few days and might wear the same outfit for a week. She might seem depressed, and her mood may seem flat, meaning that she doesn't seem to get happy or angry. Also, she might laugh at inappropriate times. A coworker might be talking about a death in his family, and she might not be able to control her laughter. A woman who develops schizophrenia might have a hard time concentrating and lose focus easily. She might forget to meet her sister for lunch or her mother's birthday.
Catching the illness early can improve the chances of a woman with schizophrenia being able to live a more normal life. Schizophrenia.com reports that woman are more likely than men to marry, have jobs and live a relatively normal life with treatment.
Delusions and Hallucinations
A woman who's suffering from schizophrenia might experience delusions or hallucinations. Delusions occur when someone believes something that isn't true. For example, a woman may tell her family members that the FBI is trying to kill her. She might say that they're following her, listening to her phone calls and entering her house at night. A woman who is having hallucinations is experiencing sensations of the five senses that only occur only in her mind. For example, a woman who sees a hundred spiders crawling on her wall when no one else sees them is having a hallucination. According to HELPGUIDE.org, the most common type of hallucination is auditory.
Disorganized Speech and Disorganized Behavior
Another symptom that a woman may experience if she is suffering from schizophrenia is disorganized speech. This means that she might jump from topic to topic, make up words, repeat things and rhyme while speaking. Family members, friends and coworkers would have a hard time interacting with her due to her disorganized speech. It would seem almost impossible to have a conversation.
A woman who normally behaves in a socially appropriate way may start acting bizarrely if suffering from schizophrenia. For instance, she might wear low-cut shirts and mini skirts to work, cry when someone tells a funny joke and spend all of her savings on designer handbags.
Negative Symptoms
Negative symptoms include a lack of emotions, lack of interest and goals, absence of movement or speech and difficulty having conversations. A woman who starts displaying negative symptoms might seem robotic to her friends and family members. She might stay in bed, stop moving and refuse to eat.
