- Schizophrenia symptoms
- Positive symptoms
- Negative symptoms
- Possible causes
- How the treatment is done
Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness, characterized by changes in the functioning of the mind, which can arise at any age. This disease has no cure yet, but when the treatment is carried out correctly it can relieve symptoms by up to 70%.
Some of the most common symptoms caused by this disease are delusions, hallucinations, changes in thinking, speech or behavior, for example. Learn about the main types of schizophrenia.
Schizophrenia symptoms
The symptoms of schizophrenia are divided into positive and negative. Positive symptoms are those that are most visibly present in the acute decompensation phases of the disease and that add or decrease something to this function.
On the other hand, negative symptoms are those that result from the evolution of schizophrenia itself, from the effects of antipsychotic medication and secondary to the positive symptoms themselves and that imply a loss or decrease in normal functions.
Positive symptoms
The most common positive symptoms are:
- Delusions, like thinking you are being chased, talking to the dead, that you are someone else or that your mind is in direct connection with extraterrestrials, for example; Hallucinations, how to hear voices, when no one else hears them; disorderly thoughts, in which the person goes from time to time very quickly or gives an opinion that has no relation to the subject being debated; Changes in behavior and movement, such as agitated body movements or catatonia.
Know the characteristics of the main types of delirium.
Negative symptoms
The negative symptoms that can occur in people with schizophrenia are:
- Decreased affective expression and emotional indifference (affective dullness); Difficulty in starting and maintaining an activity; Apathy; Loss of ability to feel pleasure (anhedonia); General loss of motivation, losing its purpose and objectives; Social isolation.
Possible causes
The causes of schizophrenia have not been fully clarified, however, it is known that its development is influenced by genetics and environmental factors, such as drug use, viral infections, parents with advanced age at the time of pregnancy, malnutrition during pregnancy, birth complications, negative psychological experiences or suffering physical or sexual abuse.
How the treatment is done
The treatment of schizophrenia consists of administering antipsychotic drugs that will improve the exchange of information in the brain and conduct psychotherapy sessions. It is very important that the patient does not stop taking the medication even if he feels better, as psychotherapy only has effects if the medication is also being used.
Taking the medication also prevents future episodes and promotes a decrease in the positive and negative symptoms of the disease. Treatment should be carried out for life, but it is possible that the disease has periods of improvement or worsening that cannot always be resolved with treatment.
It is also important to re-educate the family about the symptoms of schizophrenia so that they can better understand and provide the necessary support to the person.
