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Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a mental illness disorder that affects people’s brains, behaviors, feelings, and thinking.12 During active schizophrenia, people may experience delusions, hallucinations, and trouble thinking, speaking, or being motivated. If schizophrenia isn’t treated, it can cause severe problems for the sufferer.3

Schizophrenia affects an estimated 1.5 million US adults annually.4 But it is in the top 15 causes of disability in the world.5 A schizophrenia diagnosis usually occurs between the late teen years and the early thirties. Males tend to experience symptoms in their late teens through early twenties. In comparison, females have symptoms in their early twenties to early thirties.6

Schizophrenia impacts children and adolescents too. People experiencing schizophrenia as children is roughly 0.04 percent. While it can be difficult to detect schizophrenia in children or adolescents, they share many of the same adult symptoms.7 Plus, schizophrenia is treatable for all age groups.

Causes

Schizophrenia symptoms develop because of environment, brain issues, and genetics. Schizophrenia might run in families. But it’s not a guarantee that a person will develop the disorder. Multiple genes, not one gene, contribute to a person having schizophrenia. People living in stressful situations, poverty, poor nutrition, or exposure to viruses might increase the chances of schizophrenia. The environmental symptoms might contribute to disrupting of the brain regions working together. Some studies show that differences in brain connections might occur during pregnancy.8 However, at this time, the exact cause of schizophrenia is unknown.

Signs and Symptoms

Schizophrenia symptoms come in three categories: cognitive, negative, and psychotic. Cognitive symptoms include:
  • Impacts thought processes
  • Difficulty using information
  • Difficulty making decisions
  • Difficulty focusing or paying attention9
Negative symptoms include:
  • Disinterest in daily activities
  • Lack of motivation
  • No longer socializing
  • Talking less10
Psychotic symptoms include:
  • Changes to the five senses (hearing, smelling, tasting, touching, and seeing)
  • Lost sense of reality
  • Delusions (paranoia)
  • Hallucinations (seeing things)11
Due to the effects of schizophrenia, you must seek mental health services if symptoms are present. Roughly 4.9 percent of people living with schizophrenia commit suicide.12 But with treatment, people can relieve the severe symptoms that lead to suicidal ideations.

Treatments

Schizophrenia doesn’t have a cure, but it’s treatable. Cognitive-behavioral therapy and medications can help manage schizophrenia symptoms. Cognitive-behavioral therapy teaches coping skills for everyday struggles. It can enable clients to resume school, work, or personal relationship responsibilities.13


Medications like antipsychotics can reduce psychotic symptoms. When taken as recommended, these pills or liquid antipsychotics help people function. Unfortunately, there is the risk of experiencing side effects from the medicines. Drowsiness, dry mouth, feeling restless, and gaining weight are common side effects. It is not recommended that people stop taking antipsychotics without discussing it first with their mental health professional and following a medically-supervised plan for gradual withdrawal. 14 

Recommendations

Schizophrenia is a disorder that can reduce people’s ability to function. No one should struggle with the mild, moderate, or severe symptoms alone. If you suspect symptoms of schizophrenia are present, now is the time to seek help. Schedule a call today to speak with one of our therapists.

Schizophrenia is a mental illness disorder that affects people’s brains, behaviors, feelings, and thinking.12 During active schizophrenia, people may experience delusions, hallucinations, and trouble thinking, speaking, or being motivated. If schizophrenia isn’t treated, it can cause severe problems for the sufferer.3

Schizophrenia affects an estimated 1.5 million US adults annually.4 But it is in the top 15 causes of disability in the world.5 A schizophrenia diagnosis usually occurs between the late teen years and the early thirties. Males tend to experience symptoms in their late teens through early twenties. In comparison, females have symptoms in their early twenties to early thirties.6

Schizophrenia impacts children and adolescents too. People experiencing schizophrenia as children is roughly 0.04 percent. While it can be difficult to detect schizophrenia in children or adolescents, they share many of the same adult symptoms.7 Plus, schizophrenia is treatable for all age groups.

Causes

Schizophrenia symptoms develop because of environment, brain issues, and genetics. Schizophrenia might run in families. But it’s not a guarantee that a person will develop the disorder. Multiple genes, not one gene, contribute to a person having schizophrenia. People living in stressful situations, poverty, poor nutrition, or exposure to viruses might increase the chances of schizophrenia. The environmental symptoms might contribute to disrupting of the brain regions working together. Some studies show that differences in brain connections might occur during pregnancy.8 However, at this time, the exact cause of schizophrenia is unknown.

Signs and Symptoms

Schizophrenia symptoms come in three categories: cognitive, negative, and psychotic. Cognitive symptoms include:
  • Impacts thought processes
  • Difficulty using information
  • Difficulty making decisions
  • Difficulty focusing or paying attention9
Negative symptoms include:
  • Disinterest in daily activities
  • Lack of motivation
  • No longer socializing
  • Talking less10
Psychotic symptoms include:
  • Changes to the five senses (hearing, smelling, tasting, touching, and seeing)
  • Lost sense of reality
  • Delusions (paranoia)
  • Hallucinations (seeing things)11
Due to the effects of schizophrenia, you must seek mental health services if symptoms are present. Roughly 4.9 percent of people living with schizophrenia commit suicide.12 But with treatment, people can relieve the severe symptoms that lead to suicidal ideations.

Treatments

Schizophrenia doesn’t have a cure, but it’s treatable. Cognitive-behavioral therapy and medications can help manage schizophrenia symptoms. Cognitive-behavioral therapy teaches coping skills for everyday struggles. It can enable clients to resume school, work, or personal relationship responsibilities.13


Medications like antipsychotics can reduce psychotic symptoms. When taken as recommended, these pills or liquid antipsychotics help people function. Unfortunately, there is the risk of experiencing side effects from the medicines. Drowsiness, dry mouth, feeling restless, and gaining weight are common side effects. It is not recommended that people stop taking antipsychotics without discussing it first with their mental health professional and following a medically-supervised plan for gradual withdrawal. 14 

Recommendations

Schizophrenia is a disorder that can reduce people’s ability to function. No one should struggle with the mild, moderate, or severe symptoms alone. If you suspect symptoms of schizophrenia are present, now is the time to seek help. Schedule a call today to speak with one of our therapists.

Works Cited

American Psychiatric Association. “What Is Schizophrenia?” Psychiatry.org, American Psychiatric Association, Aug. 2020, www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/schizophrenia/what-is-schizophrenia. Accessed 2 Apr. 2022.

Huizen, Jennifer. “Schizophrenia in Children: Signs and Symptoms, Causes, and More.” Www.medicalnewstoday.com, 6 Jan. 2022,

www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/early-signs-of-schizophrenia-in-children. Accessed 2 Apr. 2022.

MedlinePlus. “Schizophrenia.” Medlineplus.gov, National Library of Medicine, 2019,

medlineplus.gov/schizophrenia.html. Accessed 2 Apr. 2022.

National Alliance on Mental Illness. “Mental Health by the Numbers | NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness.” Nami.org, 2020,

www.nami.org/mhstats#:~:text=Annual%20prevalence%20among%20U.S.%20adults. Accessed 2 Apr. 2022.

National Institute of Mental Health. “Schizophrenia.” Nih.gov, National Institute of Mental Health, 2 Dec. 2019,

www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/schizophrenia. Accessed 2 Apr. 2022.

“Schizophrenia.” National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/schizophrenia#:~:text=Schizophrenia%20is%20typically%20diagnosed%20in. Accessed 2 Apr. 2022.

1 https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/schizophrenia/what-is-schizophrenia

2 https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/schizophrenia

3https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/schizophrenia

4https://www.nami.org/mhstats#:~:text=Annual%20prevalence%20among%20U.S.%20adults,%25%20(estimated%201.5%20million%20people)

5 https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/schizophrenia#:~:text=Schizophrenia%20is%20typically%20diagnosed%20in,early%20twenties%20%E2%80%93%20early%20thirties).&text=More%20subtle%20changes%20in%20cognition,actual%20diagnosis%2C%20often%20by%20years

6 https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/schizophrenia#:~:text=Schizophrenia%20is%20typically%20diagnosed%20in,early%20twenties%20%E2%80%93%20early%20thirties).&text=More%20subtle%20changes%20in%20cognition,actual%20diagnosis%2C%20often%20by%20years

7 https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/early-signs-of-schizophrenia-in-children#risk-factors

8 https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/schizophrenia

9https://medlineplus.gov/schizophrenia.html

10https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/schizophrenia

11 https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/schizophrenia

12 https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/schizophrenia#:~:text=Schizophrenia%20is%20typically%20diagnosed%20in,early%20twenties%20%E2%80%93%20early%20thirties).&text=More%20subtle%20changes%20in%20cognition,actual%20diagnosis%2C%20often%20by%20years

13 https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/schizophrenia

14 https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/schizophrenia