What is Schizophrenia?
Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness marked by a wide range of strange behaviors, including hearing voices (hallucinations), having a distorted or misleading perception, and getting weird ideas. Schizophrenia patients can’t tell the difference between genuine and imagined experiences. Others assume that the person is lost in their own world since these unique encounters appear real to them.
A person with schizophrenia is likely to interpret reality in a way that others find strange due to the symptoms of the illness. They may believe that people are attempting to control or hurt them, and they may feel driven to protect themselves in ways that are incomprehensible to others, such as closing all doors and windows to keep the family safe from the neighbors.
Schizophrenia patients are unaware of the changes in their conduct. They may refuse to acknowledge that they are acting in a different way. This is because they are unable to distinguish between exterior and interior reality because the distinctions between them are blurred. They retreat from friends and family and refuse medical help due to their inability to understand. But schizophrenia help centers can benefit them excessively.
What are the Misconceptions About Schizophrenia?
For most of us, the word “schizophrenia” conjures up pictures of someone with unkempt hair and torn clothes; someone who is unable to control his or her behaviors and whose conduct is unpredictable and violent; someone who interacts with UFOs or behaves like being possessed. People with schizophrenia have been portrayed in movies as eccentric geniuses or crazy people.
In India, a person with schizophrenia is stereotyped as a crazed, out-of-control psychopath who poses a danger to himself and others. According to doctors, the media’s portrayal of this condition is inaccurate.
What are Some of the Signs and Symptoms of Schizophrenia?
A person suffering from schizophrenia does not act strangely all of the time. The onset and disappearance of symptoms might be unpredictable, as can the intensity of the odd experience. The following are the most common signs and symptoms:
Hallucinations – Are visual or auditory perceptions of people or objects that do not exist. It’s also possible that the person will have the sensation of tasting, feeling, or smelling something that isn’t there. The majority of persons claim to hear voices speaking to them, abusing or commanding them.
Delusions – Are false or illogical beliefs that can continue long after they have been proven to be false. Some people fear that someone they know is attempting to influence or poison them, while others believe that they are being communicated with via a secret code broadcast on television. The individual may believe that everyone is talking about him or her and may be suspicious at all times. In rare situations, the individual may imagine he or she is a celebrity or historical figure.
Disorganized Thinking – The person may be unable to think clearly at times. Their conversation appears odd, unimportant, or disconnected to those around them, and this makes no logical sense. The person may abruptly end a sentence before finishing it, give irrelevant replies to queries, or both.
Problems with Cognition – The person’s impaired thinking makes it difficult for them to concentrate on simple tasks for prolonged periods of time. They have a difficult time paying attention to what other people are saying, and they may forget to accomplish even simple activities that most people take for granted. As a result, they frequently perform poorly in school or in jobs. This problem is visible in the early stages of illness, but owing to a lack of information about the illness, family and friends may miss it.
Normal Behavior is Disrupted – The person may prefer to spend time alone and avoid spending time with others. They speak in a monotonous flat tone, frequently in monosyllables.
Getting Schizophrenia Treatment
Despite the fact that there is no known cure for schizophrenia, there are numerous therapies that can help a person live a more independent life. Schizophrenia is a chronic illness that requires treatment, similar to diabetes or high blood pressure. Any treatment aims to not only reduce symptoms but also to guarantee that the patient may live a functional life.
Don’t wait any further. Contact us at Lighthouse Network at 844-Life-Change (844-543-3242) today to learn more about your schizophrenia diagnosis and treatment options and other mental health issues.