Symptoms of Schizophrenia are divided into two basic categories. If you suffer from Schizophrenia you may have some of the symptoms described below.
Positive Symptoms
Hearing voices, seeing things that other people don't see, smelling of feeling things that do not exists - this can be very frightening. It's as though your brain is playing tricks on you. We call these symptoms hallucinations. They are part of the bigger group of symptoms called positive symptoms.
You may have felt as though you were being watched or followed, or that someone was trying to hurt you. These are also symptoms of schizophrenia. These delusions, as they are called, can make you fearful and keep you from doing things. You may believe at times that you are another person, maybe someone famous, or important. Or you may believe that you are receiving special messages from the radio or TV. These are also delusions.
Your thoughts may race, or seem jumbled and blocked, so much so that you find it hard to talk to people. They don't seem to understand what you're saying. These symptoms affect your ability to think and communicate with other people.
All these symptoms are very real for people with schizophrenia.
Negative Symptoms
This is a whole other class of symptoms. If you suffer from these symptoms, you know how they can make day to day living a struggle.
- You may feel withdrawn and tired.
- You may not feel like talking, and prefer to stay in your room alone.
- You may at times find it difficult to feel any emotions.
You may feel slow and clumsy, and not have the energy to do anything but eat and sleep. People may mistake these things as laziness, but you can't seem to help feeling this way. And you can't, because it is part of the disease.
These are the negative symptoms of the disease at work. For many people with schizophrenia, these are the symptoms that keep them from having girlfriends or boyfriends, from talking to their family, and from holding a job.
Treating Schizophrenia
The family is very important in management of individuals with
schizophrenia. Family counseling is often recommended to understand and
manage problems associated with the disease. Education is extremely
important. Persons with schizophrenia and caregivers should learn all they
can about the treatments and therapies offered, to be able to take an active
role in the management of the disease.
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