Those who want to know what is schizophrenia should understand that this is a mental illness that is known to affect people in their early adulthood or late adolescence. Schizophrenia makes it difficult for people to gauge the difference between unreal and real experiences, to behave in a normal manner in certain social situations and to even think in a logical manner. Research has shown that schizophrenia may also be a genetic medical condition and those who have members of their families who have been schizophrenic in the past are at a higher risk of developing this mental illness themselves.


Support from ones family and friends are known to play an important role in the treatment and overall improvement of schizophrenia. Sometimes schizophrenia may even occur in children after they have crossed the age of 5. However at times it becomes difficult to distinguish schizophrenia in children from other childhood developmental disorders like autism.




The signs and symptoms of schizophrenia may vary from person to person but most of them will have some of the common schizophrenia symptoms. One of the most common signs and symptoms of schizophrenia are delusions. In such cases the patient may believe that people are trying to hurt them or are following them or even that people are able to read their minds or the patient themselves may feel that they possess special abilities or powers. Some of the other signs and symptoms of schizophrenia are hallucinations, negative symptoms such as lack of interest or motivation, decreased emotional expression, bizarre or inappropriate behavior, disorganized speech and so on. In addition to these signs and symptoms of schizophrenia, individuals suffering from this medical condition may also suffer from a decline in their usual level of functioning at work or even in their personal lives.

There are five main types of schizophrenia which include paranoid schizophrenia, disorganized schizophrenia, catatonic schizophrenia, residual schizophrenia and undifferentiated schizophrenia. One of the primary signs of paranoid schizophrenia is that the affected individual tends to be preoccupied with delusion or even multiple auditory hallucinations. This would happen at certain moments, however the person will not will not display the symptoms of the other forms of schizophrenia such as disorganized schizophrenia. The subtypes of schizophrenia signs and symptoms are positive symptoms which are characterized by a distortion or an excess of the individuals normal functions.

The negative symptoms result in the complete absence or the diminishment of the characteristics of the individuals normal functioning. These negative signs and symptoms of schizophrenia may appear even years or months before the positive symptoms tend to appear. The final subtype of the schizophrenia symptoms is cognitive symptoms that are considered to be the most disabling of symptoms in schizophrenia. These interfere with the individual’s ability to perform even their routine and daily activities. In the early phases of schizophrenia, the individual may come across as reclusive, eccentric, emotionless, and unmotivated. Such individuals may even start to display an overall indifference towards life. Besides this they are also known to isolate themselves or even neglect the way they look. As part of the early symptoms of schizophrenia, the individual’s performance at school or work may gradually deteriorate and they may even abandon their favorite activities and hobbies.

Some of the other early symptoms of schizophrenia that one should watch out for are insomnia or oversleeping, social withdrawal, suspiciousness, depression, hostility, inability to concentrate or express joy or sadness, irrational or peculiar statements being made and so on. These signs and symptoms may also indicate other medical or psychological issues and hence are a cause for concern. It is therefore recommended that the condition be immediately diagnosed and consequent treatment be given.