Schizophrenia affects one in 100 people - it's not as uncommon as people think. Schizophrenia is a condition, not a lifestyle choice yet it is one of the most misunderstood and stigmatized mental illnesses.
It was first identified more than a century ago in 1887 but we still don't know its exact cause.
Schizophrenia is not merely a disorder but it is considered as a syndrome which means it may encompass a number of related disorders that have similar symptoms but various causes. Research suggests a combination of physical, genetic, psychological and environmental factors can make a person more likely to develop the condition.
Each person suffering from this syndrome can have different symptoms. These can be understood by categorizing them as positive and negative symptoms.
Positive Symptoms are those that present specifically in the people having Schizophrenia. These may start with- subtle personality change , irritability or gradual encroachment of unusual thoughts. These first signs can easily be missed.
Thus diagnosis is only possible on the onset of psychosis which occurs at teenage or early twenties for men and late twenties or early thirties for women.
First psychotic episode can feature delusions, hallucinations and disordered speech and behaviour.
It is different from multiple personality disorder as it causes a disruption of thought process instead of creating a new personality.
"The schizophrenic mind is not so much split as shattered. I like to say schizophrenia is like a waking nightmare.” — Elyn Saks
Negative symptoms includes qualities that are reduced in a schizophrenic person like motivation, emotions and speech.
Difficulty in concentrating , remembering information and making decisions are cognitive symptoms.
People with Schizophrenia can have delusions like someone is following them , brainwashing them or hurting them. They also have hallucinations where they might hear voices , see things or smell things that are not actually there.
Schizophrenia is a frightening world and people living in it are scared. But their monsters are not what scares them most buy it is the judgement of people and fear of loneliness.
It's time when people understand that People with Schizophrenia are not to be avoided but helped through anti-psychotic drugs and therapy. People like John Nash and Jack Kerouac had schizophrenia but did amazing work in their fields. It's time that we remove this stigma for once and all.
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