People suffering from schizophrenia have some symptoms, but symptoms can vary from person to person and depending on the severity. In addition to hallucinations and delusions, withdrawal from social activities are also usually includes a common symptom.
Symptoms and signs of schizophrenia are generally divided into two categories: positive symptoms and negative symptoms. Positive symptoms does not mean better, but symptoms reflecting the excess of the normal function. In contrast, negative symptoms is a symptom that refers to the loss of normal function.
Positive Symptoms
The most common positive symptoms of schizophrenia is psychosis, the loss of the ability to recognize reality or relate to other people and people usually behave in a way that is not appropriate and strange. Psychosis sensory experiences that are not there (hallucinations) or interpret the world differently from reality (delusions). Both can be present independently or together.
Hallucinations and Delusions
Hallucinations are sensory experiences that are not based on reality. Hallucinations may occur in the five senses, but auditory hallucinations are the most frequent in schizophrenia.
Auditory hallucinations are hearing voices that are not there. The shape is mostly human voice. They can be present briefly or continuously. They may like to speak directly to the patient, commenting on behavior or thoughts, ridicule, criticize or scold him. The voices that can trigger aggressive action against themselves or others. Hallucinations of smell and taste can be a smell musty, sour, rotten or burning are almost always unpleasant, undesirable or frightening. Hallucinations taste can sometimes be accompanied by the idea of ??being poisoned. Visual hallucinations may be present in varying degrees, such as a faint shadow on the edge of the visual field, shadow animals, other people or supernatural beings. Hallucinations of touch may be fun, but usually not fun. Patients may feel itchy skin, filled with fluid, or there is a disturbing feeling in his body.
Delusions are a serious misunderstanding of what a person can see, hear, or think. People who really holds the delusional beliefs are irrational and unrealistic that is very difficult to change, even when the person is confronted with evidence contrary to his imagination. Laypeople generally considered delusions as “paranoid” in which people feel paranoid delusions and persistent against conspirators “would harm”. However, it could also be related to delusional belief in splendor, complicated love fantasy (erotomanik delusions), or extreme jealousy and irrational. Delusions of grandeur (grandiose delusion) is an exaggerated self-assessment, power, knowledge, identity, or special relationship with a ruler or a famous person. People with delusions of grandeur have irrational beliefs that exaggerate how important he was, like the confidence to be a famous person, or feel has become an important person like the Prime Minister or President. Often delusions of grandeur that smells of religion takes the form of, for example, a person may believe that he is a trustee or a prophet of the Lord. Nihilistic delusion is a delusion regarding the absence of self or parts of self, or some object in external reality.
People experiencing psychosis often difficult to guard your thoughts and conversations. Some people find it difficult to concentrate and ramble from one idea to another idea. And speak their minds jumbled or confusing. They often stop in the middle of sentences or words without meaning (babbling), making it difficult conversations with others.
Psychosis can also be characterized by the behavior of the irregular and unpredictable, with the appearance or clothing that looks strange to others. Irregular behavior may be demonstrated in several ways, ranging from childlike silliness to yell or berate without reason.
You can compare the psychosis to fever. As well as fever, psychosis may be present on a variety of conditions and be part of a variety of mental illnesses. Severity varies among people with psychosis. In some cases, psychotic traits present in all aspects of behavior and thinking, in other cases, the effect is more limited and the patient can perform activities such as work, school, shopping, etc..
People with schizophrenia may also exhibit catatonic disorder (catatonia). For example, they stood still in a certain position for a very long time, walking on the toes, or raised eyebrows all the time. These symptoms are more common in schizophrenia that has lasted a long time (chronic).
Negative symptoms
Negative symptoms may occur with or without positive symptoms, which include loss of interest in daily activities, decreased energy, decreased initiative, flat affect, reduced ability to plan or conduct, neglect of personal hygiene, withdrawal from society and lose motivation. These symptoms often cause stigma of being wrongly interpreted as an expression of weakness or laziness.
Many people with schizophrenia have poor social skills, such as negative symptoms, thus making them socially isolated.
When you should see a doctor
If you feel you can not trust your senses, such as hearing voices or feeling constantly persecuted or vilified, you should consult with a psychiatrist (specialist psychiatric unit).
Often, patients are encouraged by relatives to seek help. Some people seek help immediately after the initial symptoms, others do it too late, when the symptoms have lasted for years. If you are late to go to the doctor, the symptoms will continue to worsen and the disease may no longer be cured. You do not need to be socially isolated and lose their jobs before seeking medical help.
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