Facts about Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a major psychiatric disorder that can affect all aspects of daily living including
work, social relationships and self care skills (such as grooming and hygiene). People with the
disorder can have a wide variety of symptoms including problems with their contact with reality
(hallucinations and delusions), low motivation, inability to experience pleasure and poor
attention. The serious nature of the symptoms of schizophrenia sometimes requires clients to
be hospitalized at times for treatment. The experience of schizophrenia can be described as
similar to "dreaming when you are wide awake"; that is, it can be hard for the person with the
disorder to distinguish between reality and fantasy.
How Common is Schizophrenia?
About one in every one hundred people (1 percent) develops schizophrenia at some time during
his or her life. Schizophrenia is one of the most common serious psychiatric disorders. More
hospital beds are occupied by persons with this diagnosis than any other psychiatric disorder.
How is the Disorder Diagnosed?
Schizophrenia can only be diagnosed by a clinical interview. The purpose of the interview is to
determine whether the client has experienced specific "symptoms" of the disorder, and whether
these symptoms have been present long enough to merit the diagnosis. In addition to
conducting the interview, the diagnostician must also check to make sure that the client is not
experiencing any physical problems that could cause symptoms similar to schizophrenia, such
as a brain tumor or alcohol or drug abuse.
Schizophrenia can not be diagnosed with a blood test, an X ray , a CAT scan, or any other
laboratory test. An interview is necessary to establish the diagnosis.
The Characteristic Symptoms of Schizophrenia
The diagnosis of schizophrenia requires that the client experience some decline in social
functioning for at least a six-month period, such as problems with school or work, social
relationships or self-care. In addition, some other symptoms are commonly present. The
symptoms of schizophrenia can be divided into three broad classes: positive symptoms,
negative symptoms and other symptoms. A person with schizophrenia has some (but not all) of
the symptoms described below.
Positive Symptoms
Positive symptoms refer to thoughts, perceptions and behaviors that are ordinarily absent in
people in the general population, but are present in person with schizophrenia. These
symptoms often vary over time in their severity, and may be absent for long periods in some
clients.
Hallucinations. Hallucinations are false perceptions; that is hearing, seeing, feeling or smelling
things that are not actually there. The most common type of hallucinations are auditory
hallucinations. Clients sometimes report hearing voices talking to them or about them, often
saying insulting things, such as calling them names. These voices are usually heard through
the ears and sound like other human voices.
