SCHIZOPHRENIA: Does anyone know or has anyone personally known a person...?

Question

...with schizophrenia?
Can you please list some symptoms, signs, common behavior patterns, emotional state, etc. of a person with schizophrenia.

I'm doing a project for English.

Answer 1

Please disregard the first post-the information is inaccurate to say the least and represents their agends versus any real desire for information or truth.

I've worked with Schizophrenics for 20 years and here is a general overview. You may also wish to check out sites associated with NIMH or NAMI for accurate information and resources. Good luck!

Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is an illness that is biogically based. You inherit a predisposition for the disorder which is generally triggered by stress. The typical age of onset is in the late teens to early 20's (the college years).

The general characteristics include both "positive" (acute) symptoms and "negative" (residual) symptoms and there is a prodromal phase, acute phases and residual phases. There are a lot of technical aspects to the correct diagnosis which I won't elaborate, but in general the characteristic signs are any combination of the following:

"Positive" signs:
-Hallucinations (primarily auditory, less often visual and rarely tactile, gustatory or olfactory)
-Delusions (fixed or variable, paranoid/persecutory and grandiose, somatic, erotomanic, nihilistic, etc.-they run the gamut of various types, "ideas of reference" where a person believes that random events have a special meaning meant just for them, delusions of thought control or thought insertion)
-Disorganized Thinking ("Loose associations" where thoughts are strung together with little cohesiveness, "perseveration" where a person gets stuck on the same thought or theme over and over like a needle that skips on a record and keeps replaying )
-Disorganized Behavior (catatonic excitement, catatonic stupor which is like posturing-usually only seen in extremely severe cases and rarely any more)
-Poor Concentration and inability to focus on a thought, sometimes "blocking" where a thought becomes interrupted in midstream)
-Disorganized speech (incoherence, rambling or circumstantial speech-lots of fancy terms like echolalia, word salad, verbigeration, clanging)
-Inappropriate Affect (inappropriate giggling, tears, silliness, etc. that is out of context to the situation)

"Negative" signs:
-social withdrawal and preference to isolate
-flattened or blunted affect (emotional expression)
-Amotivation (lack of motivation, apparent apathy)

There are 5 distinct types:
1-Paranoid: most organized thinking of the types-prominent delusions and hallucinations
2-Disorganized (Hebephrenic): Grossly disorganized thinking and behavior predominates and inappropriate affect
3-Catatonic: catonia, rarely seen any more
4-Undifferentiated: no clear predominant symptoms
5-Residual: Primary negative symptoms-often seen as a "burned out" version where there are fewer positive or acute symptoms

Schizophrenics often are able to maintain jobs in low stress environments with minimal interpersonal demands once they are stabilized. Others may work in sheltered employment with support and guidance. Social skills are greatly impaired and schizophrenics often have great difficulty reading the social cues most of us take for granted and thus they misjudge or misread social situations which reinforces their tendency to self-isolate as do paranoid symptoms. Intimacy is exceptionally difficult as well and they rarely form close or deep bonds with others, making it difficult to function as husbands and parents. They tend to appear aloof and distant emotionally, although often this is a way of coping with feelings of being overwhelmed by other people's emotional expression and demands.

Medication often serves to either completely control the acute symptoms or dampen their impact, but tends to have minimal impact on the negative symptoms. The side effects are often horrendous and intolerable and this leads to a familiar pattern of stopping medication, beginning the trend of repeated courses of decompensation leading to re-hospitalization.

The ineffectiveness of meds and the emotional blunting they can cause often leads to attempts to self-medicate with alcohol or marijuana (usually) which often increase symptoms.

Schizophrenics often perceive the world in unigue and idiosyncratic ways which can cause them difficulty in complying with social norms and expectations, even simple things like generally accepted standards for cleanliness or hygiene. It can also lead them to exceptional creativity and expression in arts and abstract disciplines. Examples of famous schizophrenics are the poet and artist, William Blake (I have many of his works in my office for inspiration) and John Nash, the Nobel Prize winner featured in the movie "A Beautiful MInd".

Answer 2

Hi!

One of my good friends has this disease, but takes medication so you wouldn't know unless you knew him. Not all cases are the same, but his main symptoms include: clipped speech, and explaining things too much, like, Oh, you mean John Doe that lives at 1111 Elm Street, Apt 4 in Nashville, TN. This is when we all know John. Also anxiety.

These are very mild symptoms compared to people who don't take medicines. Before meds, he was so paranoid that he was homeless for 6 months (a college educated man with family money). He wrote deloused letters to politicians and other news personalities. He would secretly think he was living in a world where he was an alien, in the military, or had some secret knowledge to protect.

This is all personal. You should check-out
http://www.schizophrenia.com/

http://www.nami.org/ --National Alliance on Mental Illness

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/healthinformation/schizophreniamenu.cfm -National Institute of Mental Health site on schizophrenia

For a positive role model, John Nash, a schizophrenic, won a Nobel Prize!

Good luck with your project. I hope you get an A.
Amelia

Answer 3

They can reside and paintings as a rule the equal as any one else, if the indicators are good-managed. Some humans with schizophrenia are completely disabled, others pass into entire remission and give up having signs over the years. Some of the medicinal drugs can intent motion issues, involuntary activities of the face, mouth and different constituents of the frame; tardive dyskinesia, dystonia, akathesia, and so forth. But that is as a rule the older medicinal drugs; the more moderen ones in the marketplace do not do this fairly as so much.

Answer 4

You have every right to ask about this situation. I recommend starting at the end result which is suicide and working back to the causes. Go to biographies in the library/search of those who did suicide and had schizophrenia. Starting at the various early levels of depression leading to this disorder will take a very long time. Now realize that your choice of study here may be personally significant to you so good luck.

Answer 5

My great aunt has it. I don't have too much information as I don't see her that often, but I know that she started getting treatment in her early 20's (she is in her 70's now). Her main symptom is paranoya. Before I was born she used to think people were out to get her and she would hallucinate. She was treated with Lithium for most of her life. I know her medicine is different now, but I don't know what she is on. When I was little I knew she was different, but didn't understand. She was actually my favorite relative because she used to act like a little kid and color with me and let me put on her jewlery and stuff. I know she was not capable of living on her own. Her sister devoted her life to helping her and living with her. Sorry I don't have any better information for you, but I hope that helps. : )