It is possible for a person to be struggling with Schizophrenia and have no clue about it because the symptoms are gradual and tend to be mistaken for depression. A person with Schizophrenia may experience hallucinations, delusions, abnormal body postures, the inability to express or experience their feelings, social isolation and cognitive decline. Battling Schizophrenia largely affects an individual’s life because they find themselves stuck in their imaginations and absent from reality, and lose the excitement of life. The symptoms associated with the mental problem can be alleviated by psychiatric specialists who prescribe medications and provide therapy sessions to help patients through handling emotions and training their cognitive behaviours. This blog outlines the common symptoms associated with Schizophrenia. 

Positive symptoms 

These are abnormal behaviours in a person that are not seen in normal people, which show a loss of touch with reality. These are;

• Delusions: An individual may have weird beliefs that are false, for example, having thoughts that someone is against them, or thinking that hunger is a sign of a fatal disease. 
• Hallucinations: A persistent experience of seeing or hearing things that are non-existent, which may feel real to them, for example, arguing, conversing or receiving instructions from imaginary beings. 
• Disorganized speech: The individual may randomly ramble, they may jumble communication that makes it difficult to follow their communication or consistently say made-up words that make no sense. 
• Abnormal movements: They may experience repetitive body motions or weird, rigid body postures such as involuntary spasms, body swaying or a shuffling walk 

Negative symptoms 

This is the lack of normal behavior that a person is supposed to have, which includes the inability to express emotions or the inability to respond to circumstances or their feelings. These are;

• Flat affect: The individual tends to communicate with a dull tone(without gestures or boring tone) and has little to no facial expressions. 
• Avolition: The individual has a lack of motivation for their life; for example, they may have no motivation to take care of themselves or to accomplish anything in life 
• Asociality: The individual has a loss of interest in connecting with society, and they constantly isolate themselves. 
• Anhedonia: it is defined as the inability for an individual to feel pleasure or experience joy, for example, they lose interest in things that they enjoyed, such as food or hobbies. 

Cognitive symptoms 

• Memory issues: They can experience an inability to recall things, such as using recent information. 
• Focus problems: They have a low attention span and face difficulty following instructions. 
• Poor planning: The individual may have problems with making decisions or solving problems. 

Treatments provided for Schizophrenia

The specialist provides antipsychotic treatments that address the symptoms, such as hallucinations or delusions, which significantly help the patients improve their quality of life. 

Medication: Patients are prescribed medications to address brain chemicals to alleviate the symptoms, such as hallucinations. 

Psychotherapy: The patient is taken through talk sessions, training sessions for cognitive exercises, and trained on how to process their emotions. 

Conclusion 

Battling with schizophrenia may be hard to cope with, especially if treatment is not prescribed or if the person is not aware of what they are going through, which is why it is advisable to take time to understand the symptoms and seek a consultation with the best psychiatric specialists for diagnosis and to provide awareness concerning the health problem. Manas Hospital is where one can get in touch with specialists who have experience in helping people with Schizophrenia. We provide consultations, medical treatments and therapy sessions to help individuals battling Schizophrenia live an improved, healthier life through the guidance of Dr. Anshul Mahajan, the expert for psychiatric health problems. 

FAQ’s 

What triggers Schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is not primarily triggered by any factor, but it can be due to brain chemical imbalances, environmental stress, and can be genetically inherited through family members. 

Can it be completely reversed? 

Schizophrenia is a lifelong health problem that cannot be completely reversed, but the treatments are prescribed to alleviate the symptoms and help the patient manage their emotions and cognitive behaviour.