Schizophrenia Signs and Symptoms

There is no test that can diagnose schizophrenia. A psychiatrist comes to the diagnosis based on clinical symptoms. What physical testing can do is rule out a lot of other conditions that sometimes have similar symptoms.

People diagnosed with schizophrenia usually experience a combination of symptoms: hallucinations, delusions, racing thoughts, apathy, are deficient in emotion, poor social functioning, and disorganized thoughts, difficulty concentrating and following instructions, difficulty completing tasks, memory problems.  Only a psychiatrist can make a diagnosis and start a treatment program. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms please make an appointment with your doctor and/or a psychiatrist.

The first step in getting treatment for schizophrenia is getting a correct diagnosis. This is important The sooner you are diagnosed and receive medication the sooner the recovery; which is the true for all serious illnesses.  Because the symptoms of schizophrenia can be similar at times to other major brain disorders, such as bipolar disorder (manic depression) or even major depression; this may take time. A person with schizophrenia may be paranoid or believe that nothing is wrong with them, and therefore may not want to go to see a doctor so family intervention may be necessary. 

This is a vital part of the treatment and recovery process, as research and anecdotal evidence both confirm that a good patient-doctor relationship can be important for treatment compliance.

If you have a family history of schizophrenia, psychiatric illness, or other serious conditions in your family, it can be a great help to the doctor to have family support.

Schizophrenia is characterized by profound disruption in cognition and emotion, affecting the most fundamental functioning: language, thought, perception, affect, and sense of self. The various symptoms frequently includes psychotic manifestations, such as hearing internal voices or experiencing other sensations not connected to an obvious source, hallucinations and fixed false personal beliefs, delusions.

Types of Schizophrenia

Paranoid schizophrenia - These persons are very suspicious of others and often have grand schemes of persecution.    The hallucinations, and delusions, are a prominent and common part of the illness.

Disorganized schizophrenia - The person is verbally incoherent and may have moods and emotions that are not appropriate to the situation. Hallucinations are not usually present.

Catatonic schizophrenia - The person is extremely withdrawn, negative and isolated, and has marked psychomotor disturbances.

Residual schizophrenia - In this case the person is not currently suffering from delusions, hallucinations, or disorganized speech and behavior, but lacks motivation and interest in day-to-day living.

Schizoaffective disorder - These people have symptoms of schizophrenia as well as mood disorder such as major depression, bipolar mania, or mixed mania

Because schizophrenia often shares symptoms found in other disorders, misdiagnosis is a common problem.  Knowing the symptoms of these disorders, and how they can be similar and different from schizophrenia, can help prevent a possible misdiagnosis.  Getting a correct diagnosis is necessary for finding a treatment program that works for you.