Schizophrenia

What is Schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is a long term condition that can severely impact a person's life. It causes a person to misinterpret reality and can result in a person experiencing hallucinations, delusions and disordered thinking. Schizophrenia is often referred to as a form of psychosis by medical professionals, meaning a person with this condition can struggle to distinguish their own thoughts from reality.

For most people, the symptoms of schizophrenia start to appear in the mid to late 20s, although it is possible for symptoms to appear earlier and later than this. When symptoms occur before the age of 18, this is known as early onset schizophrenia.

Symptoms

Symptoms of schizophrenia can include:

Hallucinations - hearing or seeing things that are not there
Delusions - strange beliefs not rooted in reality
Muddled thoughts and believing delusions and hallucinations to be real

Lack of care or interest in personal hygiene
A loss of interest in everyday activities
Social isolation

Phases of Schizophrenia

Prodromal Phase

The first phase is known as the prodromal phase. This is the stage where family and friends might start noticing strange behaviours. The person with schizophrenia might be more withdrawn and start to discuss the delusions they are experiencing. This phase can last from a few weeks to a few years.

Active Phase (a.k.a Acute Schizophrenia)

The second phase, known as the active phase, can be the most alarming phase to witness. This is the most well known phase of schizophrenia and is where symptoms such hallucinations happen.

It is possible for this phase to happen suddenly and without the person having gone through a prodromal phase and can last for months.

Residual Phase

The final stage of schizophrenia is called the residual phase, sometimes referred to as the ‘recovery’ phase by medical professionals. This phase is very similar to the prodromal phase and mirrors many of its symptoms as this is when the more intense symptoms such as hallucinations start to disappear. It is likely that the person with schizophrenia will still have delusions but they are less intense.

Relapse

Even with support and appropriate treatment, schizophrenia symptoms often return. Often, symptoms return without warning and can be more severe after periods of remission. When this happens it is known as a relapse.

Common signs of a relapse include:

Insomnia
Social withdrawal
Difficulty concentrating
Increasing paranoia
Hallucinations

It is impossible to completely prevent a relapse, however, early recognition can greatly increase the effectiveness of interventions.

If you feel like you are struggling with anything you have read or any other aspect of mental health, then there are services out there that can help. If you need to talk to someone you can sign up here for our peer coaching service.

Report abuse