What is Schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is a chronic and severe mental illness that affects how a person thinks, feels and behaves.

This week we’ll be focusing on Schizophrenia.

Although schizophrenia is not as common as other mental disorders, the symptoms can be disabling, making people seem like they have lost touch with reality.

Symptoms

Schizophrenia symptoms can be broken down into three categories: Positive, Negative and Cognitive.

Positive symptoms

Positive symptoms are psychotic behaviours not generally seen in people who do not suffer from schizophrenia.

Symptoms include – Hallucinations, delusions, thought disorders (unusual or dysfunctional) and movement disorders (agitated body movements).

Negative symptoms

Negative symptoms are associated with disruptions to normal emotions and behaviours.

Symptoms include – “Flat affect” (reduced expression of emotions via facial expressions or voice tone), reduced feelings of pleasure in everyday life, difficulty beginning and sustaining activities and reduced speaking.

Cognitive Symptoms

Cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia for some can be subtle, but for others they are more severe including changes to their memory and aspects of thinking.

Symptoms include – Poor executive functioning (ability to understand information and use it to make decisions), trouble focusing or paying attention and problems with “working memory” (ability to use information immediately after learning it).

How can you help someone with schizophrenia

Caring for and supporting someone with schizophrenia can be hard as it can be a sensitive topic to approach.

Here are some things you can do to help someone you may know with schizophrenia.

• Encourage them to get treatment – You can’t help someone who doesn’t want to be helped.
• Remember that their beliefs or hallucinations seem very real to them – Try not to point or directly that they are hallucinating, rather help them find their way back to reality.
• Be respectful, supportive and kind without – Make sure to be supportive.
• Check to see if there are any support groups in your area – Try and find a support group that they can attend or you can even attend together.

Services available

Within UNSW – https://psych.med.unsw.edu.au/ruse

Within Sydney – https://www.sfnsw.org.au/

Information is from the National Institute of Mental Health