What is Schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is a serious brain illness. Schizophrenia is a severe, lifelong brain disorder. People who have it may hear voices, see things that aren’t there or believe that others are reading or controlling their minds. Many people with schizophrenia are disabled by their symptoms.

People with schizophrenia may hear voices other people don’t hear. They may think other people are trying to hurt them. Sometimes they don’t make any sense when they talk. The disorder makes it hard for them to keep a job or take care of themselves.

Anyone can develop schizophrenia. Symptoms of schizophrenia usually start between ages 16 and 30. It affects men and women equally in all ethnic groups. Men often develop symptoms at a younger age than women. In men, symptoms usually start in the late teens and early 20s. They include hallucinations, or seeing things, and delusions such as hearing voices. For women, they start in the mid-20s to early 30s. People usually do not get schizophrenia after age 45.

What causes schizophrenia?

Several factors may contribute to schizophrenia, including:

  • Genes, because the illness runs in families
  • The environment, such as viruses and nutrition problems before birth
  • Different brain structure and brain chemistry

What are the symptoms of schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia symptoms range from mild to severe. There are three main types of symptoms.

  1. Positive symptoms refer to a distortion of a person’s normal thinking and functioning. They are "psychotic" behaviors. People with these symptoms are sometimes unable to tell what's real from what is imagined. Positive symptoms include:
    • Hallucinations: when a person sees, hears, smells, or feels things that no one else can.
    • Delusions: when a person believes things that are not true. For example, a person may believe that people on the radio and television are talking directly to him or her. Sometimes people believe that they are in danger-that other people are trying to hurt them.
    • Thought disorders: ways of thinking that are not usual or helpful. People with thought disorders may have trouble organizing their thoughts.
    • Movement disorders: may appear as agitated body movements. A person with a movement disorder may repeat certain motions over and over. In the other extreme, a person may stop moving or talking for a while, a rare condition called “catatonia.”
  2. Negative symptoms refer to difficulty showing emotions or functioning normally. When a person with schizophrenia has negative symptoms, it may look like depression. People with negative symptoms may:
    • Talk in a dull voice
    • Show no facial expression, like a smile or frown
    • Have trouble having fun
    • Have trouble planning and sticking with an activity, like grocery shopping
    • Talk very little to other people, even when they need to
  3. Cognitive symptoms are not easy to see, but they can make it hard for people to have a job or take care of themselves. Cognitive symptoms include:
    • Trouble using information to make decisions
    • Problems using information immediately after learning it
    • Trouble paying attention

Read more about schizophrenia >>

Is there help?

Medicines can relieve many of the symptoms, but it can take several tries before you find the right drug. You can reduce relapses by staying on your medicine for as long as your doctor recommends. With treatment, many people improve enough to lead satisfying lives.

For help with schizophrenia, contact Fort Lauderdale Hospital.

Information provided by the National Institutes of Health