10 Telltale Signs of Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental illness that affects millions of Americans. Schizophrenia can impair a person’s thought processes and cause them to feel, and see, things that are not real. Schizophrenia can be extremely scary for people who do not receive treatment, but it is a manageable mental illness if proper help is received.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, schizophrenia affects both men and women equally, and in America, approximately 2.4 million people have the disorder. Men commonly are diagnosed with the disorder in their late teens to early twenties, whereas, women are commonly diagnosed with the disorder in their late twenties to early thirties.
Schizophrenia will interfere with a person’s ability to think clearly and their ability to handle their emotions appropriately.
Ten Telltale Signs of Schizophrenia
The delusions and hallucinations that happen with schizophrenia can make it difficult for people to participate in normal society.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the majority, if not all, people who have schizophrenia will have the most common symptom of the disorder, which is psychosis. Psychosis is the experience of loss of contact with reality, which usually involves delusions and hallucinations.
Below is a list of ten signs that people with schizophrenia commonly experience…
1. Hallucinations: This is where a person will hear or see things that are not real.
2. Speech impairments: A person may have difficulty speaking clearly and concisely, and may have a difficult time verbalizing a complete thought.
3. Delusions: This is where a person will believe things that are not true, this is different from hallucinations.
4. Pulling away from society: People who have schizophrenia will commonly pull away from society and socialization.
5. Lack of ability to think clearly: A person with schizophrenia may have a difficult time concentrating and thinking clearly.
6. Shunning themselves from friends and family: Although it is common for people to pull away from society, they may also stop talking with their friends and family.
7. Mood swings: A person may experience mood swings, mostly due to intense agitation they feel from the disorder.
8. Sleeping problems: It is common for people with schizophrenia to have insomnia, nightmares, and disturbances with their sleeping patterns.
9. Decreased movement: A person with schizophrenia may become catatonic, meaning they may stay in one spot for long periods of time without talking or moving.
10. Abnormal eye movement: A person with schizophrenia may have a difficult time following objects with their eyes, may go for long periods of time without blinking, or may have a consistent blank stare.
