What Exactly Is Schizophrenia?

Symptoms of schizophrenia may include:

• Abnormal behaviors that occur due to schizophrenia (psychotic manifestations called “positive symptoms”)
  • Hallucinations
  • Delusions
  • Disorganized thinking or speech 
• Normal behaviors that stop due to schizophrenia, called “negative symptoms”
  • Lack of emotional display or display of facial expressions (“flat affect”)
  • Reduced motivation 
  • Not moving or speaking much
  • Lack of basic hygiene
  • No interest in being with others or doing things that once were enjoyable
  • Difficulty planning, starting, and sustaining activities
• Cognitive symptoms that affect thinking and memory, such as difficulty with:
  • Learning and remembering
  • Problem solving
  • Making decisions
  • Making sense of new information
  • Focusing or paying attention
  • Understanding speech or other types of communication
• Emotional symptoms
  • Anxiety 
  • Depression

Schizophrenia is diagnosed by a mental health professional when a person has two or more of the following symptoms occurring persistently along with reduced functioning:

• Hallucinations
• Delusions
• Negative symptoms
• Disorganized speech
• Disorganized or catatonic behavior

Tests may sometimes be performed to rule out other psychiatric diagnoses such as bipolar disorder, brain tumors, or other medical conditions that may cause similar symptoms.

Treatment for schizophrenia includes medications combined with counseling and support to manage the illness and improve quality of life.

Antipsychotics are the main types of medications used to treat schizophrenia. Patients usually need to take these drugs for the rest of their lives. 

Antipsychotics can cause unpleasant side effects and many patients stop taking them as a result. It may be possible to change the dosage or regimen, or switch to a different medication to find one that works best for you and also minimize side effects. It usually takes several attempts with different medications to find the right one for each individual patient. Never stop taking a prescribed medication without first talking to your doctor.

Counseling and other support for schizophrenia includes: 

• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
• Cognitive remediation interventions to help address the negative and cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia
• Behavioral skills training
• Supported employment
• Family education and support programs
• Coordinated specialty care (CSC), which is recovery-oriented treatment programs for people with first episode psychosis, an early stage of schizophrenia
• Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) for individuals with schizophrenia who are at risk for repeated hospitalizations or homelessness