Schizophrenia is a brain disease. The limbic system of the
brain, known as the gate through which all incoming stimuli must pass, cannot
filter through the messages the brain is sending or pick out what the individual
needs to concentrate on. It is similar to putting on a headphone and having the
sound magnified tenfold. Understandably, individuals with schizophrenia can
become overly sensitive, feel overloaded and withdraw. Schizophrenia causes
disturbances in thinking, feeling and relating to others. The disturbance
affects a person’s entire personality. Victims’ mental and emotional pain and
isolation are immeasurable.
Symptoms of Schizophrenia
Just as other diseases have symptoms, so does schizophrenia.
Symptoms often vary from person to person and episodes can range from extremely
severe to very mild. Some characteristic symptoms of schizophrenia include:
Sudden personality change
Hallucinations
Delusions
Altered senses
Distorted reality
Flat or inappropriate emotions
Paranoia, fear
Loss of motivation and disordered thinking
Withdrawal from family and friends
Insomnia
Disregard for personal appearance
Facts About
Schizophrenia
Three-fourths of all people who are diagnosed with
schizophrenia are between 16 and 25.
Nationwide, over 600,000 people are in active treatment
for schizophrenia each day.
100,000 people are diagnosed with schizophrenia each year.
About 1 in 4 schizophrenics attempts suicide; 1 in 10
succeed.
Hearing voices is the most common schizophrenic
hallucination.
About 13 percent of people suffering from schizophrenia
understand that they are ill.
Schizophrenia is one of the most common and least
understood mental disturbances.
Medication relieves symptoms in nine out of ten patients,
but is not a cure.
Antipsychotic medication can partially block the chemical
that over stimulates the brain.
One-third will recover completely from schizophrenia. One
third will improve, needing only occasional hospitalization, if any. One-third will remain
unimproved.
People with schizophrenia are no more violent than other
people.
The average person with schizophrenia is likely to be
passive, vulnerable and more likely to be a crime victim than to commit a crime.
Guilt and fear predominate the life of schizophrenics.
The most helpful response of those who care about the
person with this disease is patience and understanding.
