In most people with schizophrenia, symptoms generally start in the mid- to late 20s, though it can start later, up to the mid-30s. Schizophrenia is considered early onset when it starts before the age of 18. Onset of schizophrenia in children younger than age 13 is extremely rare.
In this early phase of schizophrenia, you may seem eccentric, unmotivated, emotionless, and reclusive to others. You may start to isolate yourself, begin neglecting your appearance, say peculiar things, and show a general indifference to life.
The exact causes of schizophrenia are unknown. Research suggests a combination of physical, genetic, psychological and environmental factors can make a person more likely to develop the condition. Some people may be prone to schizophrenia, and a stressful or emotional life event might trigger a psychotic episode.
Schizophrenia can have a gradual or sudden onset.
The symptoms of schizophrenia usually fall into one of several groups: Positive symptoms are symptoms associated with excess or distortion of normal function. Positive symptoms include delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized thoughts and behaviours.
Borderline schizophrenia is held to be a valid entity that should be included in the DSM-III. It is a chronic illness that may be associated with many other symptoms but is best characterized by perceptual-cognitive abnormalities. It has a familial distribution and a genetic relationship with schizophrenia.
Schizophrenia usually involves delusions (false beliefs), hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that don't exist), unusual physical behavior, and disorganized thinking and speech. It is common for people with schizophrenia to have paranoid thoughts or hear voices.
Most people with schizophrenia make a recovery, although many will experience the occasional return of symptoms (relapses). Support and treatment can help you to manage your condition and the impact it has on your life.
Highly stressful or life-changing events may sometimes trigger schizophrenia. These can include: being abused or harassed. losing someone close to you.
Early Warning Signs of Schizophrenia
One is that people with the disorder often don't realize they're ill, so they're unlikely to go to a doctor for help. Another issue is that many of the changes leading up to schizophrenia, called the prodrome, can mirror other normal life changes.
Residual schizophrenia is the mildest form of schizophrenia characteristic when positive symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia (hallucinations, delusional thinking) are not actively displayed in a patient although they will still be displaying negative symptoms (no expression of emotions, strange speech).
There are no laboratory tests to diagnose schizophrenia. Instead, a doctor will perform a physical evaluation, review your medical history, and may use various diagnostic tests, such as a blood test, MRI, or CT scan to rule out any other conditions.
If one parent has the condition, it raises your chances of developing schizophrenia by about 13 percent. If your identical twin has the illness, you have a roughly 50 percent chance of developing schizophrenia. If both of your parents have schizophrenia, you have a 40 percent likelihood of developing the illness.
Though schizophrenia can vary from one individual to the next, some of the most commonly occurring symptoms include delusions, hallucinations, and a lack of emotion in speech and in facial expressions.
Bipolar disorder.
Some people with severe bipolar disorder have delusions or hallucinations. That's why they may be misdiagnosed with schizophrenia.
If left untreated, schizophrenia rarely gets better on its own. Symptoms of schizophrenia more frequently increase in intensity without treatment and may even lead to the onset of additional mental issues, including: Depression.
Some researchers believe that problems with brain development may be partly responsible for schizophrenia. Others believe that inflammation in the brain may damage cells that are used for thinking and perception. Many other things could also play a role, including: Exposure to viruses before birth.
Anxiety and affective symptoms are prominent features of schizophrenia which are often present in the prodromal phase of the illness and preceding psychotic relapses. A number of studies suggest that genetic risk for the disorder may be associated with increased anxiety long before the onset of psychotic symptoms.
The prevalence of comorbid anxiety disorders (panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, and OCD) in schizophrenia is significantly higher in the general population. The onset of anxiety disorder commonly precedes the onset of schizophrenia.
People with schizophrenia generally live about 15 to 20 years less than those without the condition. Schizophrenia is a complex disease. There are many ways it can result in serious complications.
Schizophrenia is a chronic disorder that may wax and wane in severity, but it does not typically worsen with age. 1 For some people, the symptoms of schizophrenia will improve over time while for others the symptoms will stay the same or get worse.
It is possible for individuals with schizophrenia to live a normal life, but only with good treatment. Residential care allows for a focus on treatment in a safe place, while also giving patients tools needed to succeed once out of care.
Most commonly though, people diagnosed with schizophrenia will hear multiple voices that are male, nasty, repetitive, commanding, and interactive, where the person can ask the voice a question and get some kind of answer.”
Past studies have reported that offspring of affected mothers have a higher risk of schizophrenia than the offspring of affected fathers; however, other studies found no such maternal effect [Gottesman and Shields, 1976].
Case Study Illustrates How Schizophrenia Can Often Be Overdiagnosed. Making a diagnosis of schizophrenia requires careful evaluation because the disorder involves much more than what patients perceive as hallucinations.