Schizophrenia is a mental illness that typically starts in men when they're in the teens or early 20's and in women when they're in their 20's or early 30's, according to the Mayo Clinic. Someone with this disorder will usually deteriorate over time, and treatment is needed throughout the person's lifetime. Treatment includes medication, social skills training, family therapy, individual therapy and supported employment.
Positive Symptoms
Positive symptoms occur when someone loses touch with reality, and the severity of these symptoms changes over time. Positive symptoms include hallucinations, delusions, disorganized speech and disorganized behavior. Hallucinations occur when someone experiences something through one of her five senses that isn't actually occurring. For instance, someone could have a hallucination that she sees thousands of bugs crawling on the walls of her house or experience a hallucination in which voices tell her to do things. Delusions are beliefs that aren't based on reality. For example, someone might have a delusion that aliens are out to get him or that he gets important messages from television commercials.
Someone who has a hard time organizing his thoughts and speaking clearly might have disorganized speech. When talking to someone experiencing this symptom of schizophrenia, it will be hard to follow the person. It might seem as if the person is jumping from topic to topic, or he might make up his own words or expressions. Disorganized behavior is characterized by a lack of daily functioning, unpredictable responses, bizarre behaviors and a lack of impulse control.
Negative Symptoms
According to the Mayo Clinic, people can experience negative symptoms for months or even years before having any positive symptoms. Negative symptoms occur when there is a reduction of normal functioning. Negative symptoms include loss of motivation at work and school, isolation or social withdrawal, lack of emotion, lack of pleasure and issues with personal hygiene. The National Institute of Mental Health reports that someone exhibiting negative symptoms may appear lazy to others; however, the person's behavior is due to mental illness.
Cognitive Symptoms
Cognitive symptoms make it extremely difficult for someone with schizophrenia to perform normal tasks such as going to the grocery store or cleaning the house. Cognitive symptoms include issues understanding and interpreting information, problems concentrating or paying attention and memory issues. For instance, someone with schizophrenia may have a hard time remembering where she keeps her basic cleaning supplies, what areas of the home have not been cleaned in a while and what to use to mop the floor. These symptoms affect a person's ability to have a job and make and maintain relationships.
