What is Schizophrenia?

When a person acts very strangely, particular if their behavior is actually bizarre, they may be suffering from a serious mental illness. A visit to a mental health practitioner can provide a diagnosis. There are many different types of illness that can lead to bizarre behavior. An illness that is characterized by sporadic psychotic episodes in which a person seems to lose touch with reality (at least the way others see it) requires treatment. One such illness is called \"schizophrenia.\" Some people think that schizophrenia means \"split personality.\" It doesn\'t mean that at all! In fact, there is a completely different disorder that involves a splitting of the personality (Dissociative Identity Disorder). Schizophrenia is a cluster of symptoms that include psychotic episodes and behaviors. Here are some of its characteristics:

   Prior to becoming ill, the person sometimes has a withdrawn or otherwise peculiar personality. Others may think he is a little strange or eccentric.
   The illness begins gradually, often unnoticeably. At least six months before the diagnosis, behavior begins to change. Right from the start this may involve hallucinations or delusions (imagining visions or voices or sensations that aren\'t actually present, or thinking thoughts that have no basis in reality - such as being convinced that someone is trying to cause serious harm when this is not at all the case and there is no evidence of this). Alternatively, schizophrenia may begin with milder symptoms, such as beliefs that are peculiar rather than psychotic.
   During at least one month of those six, the person has been psychotic (out of touch with reality). There have been two or more of the following 5 symptoms: hallucinations, delusions, strange (disorganized) speech, bizarre behavior, limited range of emotions.
   The illness causes important problems with work and social functioning.
   Mood disorders, substance use, and general medical factors can be excluded as probable causes.
    Most people improve with treatment, however relatively few recover to such an extent that they are fully back to normal.

    There are 5 subtypes of Schizophrenia.

• Paranoid Type: person has delusions that others are out to hurt him or her and hears voices (auditory hallucinations). There are no other symptoms.
• Disorganized Type: strange speech and behavior is more prominent than delusions and hallucinations.
• Catatonic Type: the main feature is very slow movement or hyperactivity with strange body positions and strange speech (i.e. copying what others say).
• Undifferentiated Type: the person has a mixture of the three types described above.
• Residual Type: although psychotic symptoms have improved, the person still seems odd or peculiar.
  

Symptoms of Schizophrenia (DSM-IV Criteria)

In order to be diagnosed with Schizophrenia a person must meet the following symptoms:

•    For a significant part of at least one month person has had two or more of these 5 symptoms:
    *Delusions
    *Hallucinations
    *Severely disorganized (bizarre) behavior
    *Disorganized speech (incomprehensible, strange, unconnected)
    *\"Negative Symptoms\" - a lack of emotion, speech or motivation
 
•    For at least six continuous months, the person has shown some evidence of the disorder. At least one month must include the symptoms of psychosis. During this time the person must display either or both of these:
*    Negative symptoms (as mentioned above)
*    At least two of the other schizophrenic symptoms mentioned above.
•    Dysfunction. For a substantial part of this time, the disorder has significantly impaired the person’s ability to work, study, socialize, or take care of himor herself. (If the illness begins in childhood or adolescence, the criteria for dysfunction require only that the person fail to achieve the expected occupational, scholastic, or social level.)

•    A mood disorder with psychotic features and Schizoaffective Disorder have been ruled out trhough diagnosis.
•    This disorder is not directly caused by a general medical condition or by the use of substances, including prescription medications.
•    If the person has a history of any pervasive developmental disorder (such as Autistic Disorder), Schizophrenia is diagnosed only if prominent delusions or hallucinations are also present for at least a month.

Treatment for Schizophrenia

While there is no complete cure for Schizophrenia, treatment can help improve the lifestyle of the person. Medication and therapy are common treatments for schizophrenia. Medications such as antipsychotic, antidepressant and anti-anxiety forumulations are effective in controlling psychotic episodes. Therapy alone is not an optimal treatment choice; however combining therapies such as group therapy with medication often yields better results than drugs alone.