Symptoms of Schizophrenia
Symptoms of Schizophrenia
The list of signs and symptoms mentioned in various sources
for Schizophrenia includes the 22
symptoms listed below:
Research symptoms & diagnosis of Schizophrenia:
Schizophrenia: Complications
Review medical complications possibly associated with Schizophrenia:
Schizophrenia Symptoms: Book Excerpts
Research More About Schizophrenia
Do I have Schizophrenia?
Schizophrenia: Medical Mistakes
Schizophrenia: Undiagnosed Conditions
Diseases that may be commonly undiagnosed in related medical areas:
Home Diagnostic Testing
Home medical tests related to Schizophrenia:
- Child Behavior: Home Testing
- Mental Health (Adults): Home Testing
- Mental Health: Home Testing:
- Brain & Neurological Disorders: Related Home Testing:
- more home tests...»
Wrongly Diagnosed with Schizophrenia?
The list of other diseases or medical conditions
that may be on the differential diagnosis list of alternative diagnoses
for Schizophrenia includes:
See the full list of 60
alternative diagnoses for Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia: Research Doctors & Specialists
Research all specialists including ratings, affiliations, and sanctions.
More about symptoms of Schizophrenia:
More information about symptoms of Schizophrenia and related conditions:
Other Possible Causes of these Symptoms
Click on any of the symptoms below to see a full list
of other causes including diseases, medical conditions, toxins, drug interactions,
or drug side effect causes of that symptom.
Medical Books Online about Schizophrenia
Medical Books Excerpts
Excerpts of published medical book chapters related to Schizophrenia
are available from published medical books
for more detailed information about Schizophrenia.
Copyright notice for book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.
Related videos for Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia affects 2.5 million people in the United States alone, but few people know anything about the disease and its symptoms. Listen as our...
With the distorted understanding that comes with schizophrenia comes drastic changes in relationships with other people, from close friends to people...
Schizophrenia is a disease that can have devastating effects on a person's ability to function effectively in his or her world. Though there is...
Adherence to medication is important in the treatment of schizophrenia. Listen to experts describe strategies that may help people take their...
See full list of 4 related videos
Patient Surveys for Schizophrenia
Symptoms of Schizophrenia: Online Medical Books
16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE!
Review excerpts from medical books online, free, without registration,
for more information about the symptoms of Schizophrenia.
Schizophrenia:
Signs and symptoms
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
Schizophrenia is associated with many abnormal behaviors; therefore, signs and symptoms vary widely, depending on the type and phase (prodromal, active, or residual) of the illness.
Watch for these signs and symptoms:
❑ ambivalence — coexisting strong positive and negative feelings, leading to emotional conflict
❑ apathy and other affective abnormalities
❑ clang associations — words that rhyme or sound alike used in an illogical, nonsensical manner — for instance, “It’s the rain, train, pain”
❑ concrete associations — inability to form or understand abstract thoughts
❑ delusions — false ideas or beliefs accepted as real by the patient; delusions of grandeur, persecution, and reference (distorted belief regarding the relation between events and one’s self — for example, a belief that television programs address the patient on a personal level); feelings of being controlled, somatic illness, and depersonalization
❑ echolalia — automatic and meaningless repetition of another’s words or phrases
❑ echopraxia — involuntary repetition of movements observed in others
❑ flight of ideas — rapid succession of incomplete and loosely connected ideas
❑ hallucinations — false sensory perceptions with no basis in reality; usually visual or auditory, but may also be olfactory (smell), gustatory (taste), or tactile (touch)
❑ illusions — false sensory perceptions with some basis in reality; for example, a car backfiring mistaken for a gunshot
❑ loose associations — rapid shifts among unrelated ideas
❑ magical thinking — belief that thoughts or wishes can control others or events
❑ neologisms — bizarre words that have meaning only for the patient
❑ poor interpersonal relationships
❑ regression — return to an earlier developmental stage
❑ thought blocking — sudden interruption in the patient’s train of thought
❑ withdrawal — disinterest in objects, people, or surroundings
❑ word salad — illogical word groupings, such as “She had a star, barn, plant.”
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Schizophrenia:
Signs and symptoms
(Handbook of Diseases)
Schizophrenia is associated with various abnormal behaviors; therefore, signs and symptoms vary widely, depending on the type and phase (prodromal, active, or residual) of the illness.
Watch for these signs and symptoms:
❑ ambivalence — coexisting strong positive and negative feelings, leading to emotional conflict
❑ apathy
❑ clang associations — words that rhyme or sound alike used in an illogical, nonsensical manner — for instance, “It’s the rain, train, pain.”
❑ concrete associations — inability to form or understand abstract thoughts
❑ delusions — false ideas or beliefs that the patient accepts as real (delusions of grandeur, persecution, and reference [distorted belief regarding the relation between events and oneself, such as a belief that television programs address the patient on a personal level] are common in schizophrenia; also common are feelings of being controlled, somatic illness, and depersonalization)
❑ echolalia — meaningless repetition of words or phrases
❑ echopraxia — involuntary repetition of movements observed in others
❑ flight of ideas — rapid succession of incomplete and unconnected ideas
❑ hallucinations — false sensory perceptions with no basis in reality; usually visual or auditory but may also be olfactory, gustatory, or tactile
❑ illusions — false sensory perceptions with some basis in reality, such as a car’s backfiring mistaken for a gunshot
❑ loose associations — rapid shifts among unrelated ideas
❑ magical thinking — a belief that thoughts or wishes can control others or events
❑ neologisms — bizarre words that have meaning only for the patient
❑ poor interpersonal relationships
❑ regression — return to an earlier developmental stage
❑ thought blocking — sudden interruption in the patient’s train of thought
❑ withdrawal — disinterest in objects, people, or surroundings
❑ word salad — illogical word groupings, such as “She had a star, barn, plant.”
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
Article Excerpts About Symptoms of Schizophrenia:
Medications: NIMH (Excerpt)
People with
psychosis may hear "voices" or have strange and illogical ideas (for
example, thinking that others can hear their thoughts, or are trying to
harm them, or that they are the President of the United States or some
other famous person). They may get excited or angry for no apparent
reason, or spend a lot of time by themselves, or in bed, sleeping during
the day and staying awake at night. The person may neglect appearance, not
bathing or changing clothes, and may be hard to talk to--barely talking or
saying things that make no sense. They often are initially unaware that
their condition is an illness. (Source: excerpt from Medications: NIMH)
Schizophrenia Research at the NIMH: NIMH (Excerpt)
The
illness, which may impair a person's ability to manage emotions, interact
with others, and think clearly, typically develops in the late teens or
early twenties. Symptoms include hallucinations, delusions, disordered
thinking, and social withdrawal. (Source: excerpt from Schizophrenia Research at the NIMH: NIMH)
Schizophrenia: NIMH (Excerpt)
People with schizophrenia often suffer
terrifying symptoms such as hearing internal voices not heard by others,
or believing that other people are reading their minds, controlling their
thoughts, or plotting to harm them. These symptoms may leave them fearful
and withdrawn. Their speech and behavior can be so disorganized that they
may be incomprehensible or frightening to others. (Source: excerpt from Schizophrenia: NIMH)
Schizophrenia: NIMH (Excerpt)
The first signs of schizophrenia often appear as confusing, or even
shocking, changes in behavior. Coping with the symptoms of schizophrenia
can be especially difficult for family members who remember how involved
or vivacious a person was before they became ill. The sudden onset of
severe psychotic symptoms is referred to as an “acute” phase of
schizophrenia. “Psychosis,” a common condition in schizophrenia, is a
state of mental impairment marked by hallucinations, which are
disturbances of sensory perception, and/or delusions, which are false yet
strongly held personal beliefs that result from an inability to separate
real from unreal experiences. Less obvious symptoms, such as social
isolation or withdrawal, or unusual speech, thinking, or behavior, may
precede, be seen along with, or follow the psychotic symptoms.
Some people have only one such psychotic episode; others have many
episodes during a lifetime, but lead relatively normal lives during the
interim periods. However, the individual with “chronic” schizophrenia, or
a continuous or recurring pattern of illness, often does not fully recover
normal functioning and typically requires long-term treatment, generally
including medication, to control the symptoms. (Source: excerpt from Schizophrenia: NIMH)
Schizophrenia: NIMH (Excerpt)
People with schizophrenia may have perceptions of reality that are
strikingly different from the reality seen and shared by others around
them. Living in a world distorted by hallucinations and delusions,
individuals with schizophrenia may feel frightened, anxious, and confused.
In part because of the unusual realities they experience, people with
schizophrenia may behave very differently at various times. Sometimes they
may seem distant, detached, or preoccupied and may even sit as rigidly as
a stone, not moving for hours or uttering a sound. Other times they may
move about constantly – always occupied, appearing wide-awake, vigilant,
and alert.
(Source: excerpt from Schizophrenia: NIMH)
Schizophrenia: NIMH (Excerpt)
Hallucinations and illusions are disturbances of perception that are
common in people suffering from schizophrenia. Hallucinations are
perceptions that occur without connection to an appropriate source.
Although hallucinations can occur in any sensory form – auditory (sound),
visual (sight), tactile (touch), gustatory (taste), and olfactory (smell)
– hearing voices that other people do not hear is the most common type of
hallucination in schizophrenia. Voices may describe the patient’s
activities, carry on a conversation, warn of impending dangers, or even
issue orders to the individual. Illusions, on the other hand, occur when a
sensory stimulus is present but is incorrectly interpreted by the
individual.
(Source: excerpt from Schizophrenia: NIMH)
Schizophrenia: NIMH (Excerpt)
Delusions are false personal beliefs that are not subject to reason or
contradictory evidence and are not explained by a person’s usual cultural
concepts. Delusions may take on different themes. For example, patients
suffering from paranoid-type symptoms – roughly one-third of people with
schizophrenia – often have delusions of persecution, or false and
irrational beliefs that they are being cheated, harassed, poisoned, or
conspired against. These patients may believe that they, or a member of
the family or someone close to them, are the focus of this persecution. In
addition, delusions of grandeur, in which a person may believe he or she
is a famous or important figure, may occur in schizophrenia. Sometimes the
delusions experienced by people with schizophrenia are quite bizarre; for
instance, believing that a neighbor is controlling their behavior with
magnetic waves; that people on television are directing special messages
to them; or that their thoughts are being broadcast aloud to others.
(Source: excerpt from Schizophrenia: NIMH)
Schizophrenia: NIMH (Excerpt)
Schizophrenia often affects a person’s ability to “think straight.”
Thoughts may come and go rapidly; the person may not be able to
concentrate on one thought for very long and may be easily distracted,
unable to focus attention.
People with schizophrenia may not be able to sort out what is relevant
and what is not relevant to a situation. The person may be unable to
connect thoughts into logical sequences, with thoughts becoming
disorganized and fragmented. This lack of logical continuity of thought,
termed “thought disorder,” can make conversation very difficult and may
contribute to social isolation. If people cannot make sense of what an
individual is saying, they are likely to become uncomfortable and tend to
leave that person alone.
(Source: excerpt from Schizophrenia: NIMH)
Schizophrenia: NIMH (Excerpt)
People with schizophrenia often show “blunted” or “flat” affect. This
refers to a severe reduction in emotional expressiveness. A person with
schizophrenia may not show the signs of normal emotion, perhaps may speak
in a monotonous voice, have diminished facial expressions, and appear
extremely apathetic. The person may withdraw socially, avoiding contact
with others; and when forced to interact, he or she may have nothing to
say, reflecting “impoverished thought.” Motivation can be greatly
decreased, as can interest in or enjoyment of life. In some severe cases,
a person can spend entire days doing nothing at all, even neglecting basic
hygiene. These problems with emotional expression and motivation, which
may be extremely troubling to family members and friends, are symptoms of
schizophrenia – not character flaws or personal weaknesses.
(Source: excerpt from Schizophrenia: NIMH)
Schizophrenia: NIMH (Excerpt)
There is a common notion that schizophrenia is the same as "split
personality” – a Dr. Jekyll-Mr. Hyde switch in character.
This is not correct. (Source: excerpt from Schizophrenia: NIMH)
Schizophrenia as a Cause of Symptoms or Medical Conditions
When considering symptoms of Schizophrenia, it is also important to consider Schizophrenia as a possible cause of other medical conditions.
The Disease Database lists the following medical conditions that Schizophrenia may cause:
- (Source - Diseases Database)
Medical articles and books on symptoms:
These general reference articles may be of interest
in relation to medical signs and symptoms of disease in general:
Full list of premium articles on symptoms and diagnosis
About signs and symptoms of Schizophrenia:
The symptom information on this page
attempts to provide a list of some possible signs and symptoms of Schizophrenia.
This signs and symptoms information for Schizophrenia has been gathered from various sources,
may not be fully accurate,
and may not be the full list of Schizophrenia signs or Schizophrenia symptoms.
Furthermore, signs and symptoms of Schizophrenia may vary on an individual basis for each patient.
Only your doctor can provide adequate diagnosis of any signs or symptoms and whether they
are indeed Schizophrenia symptoms.
Schizophrenia affects 2.5 million people in the United States alone, but few people know anything about the disease and its symptoms. Listen as our...
With the distorted understanding that comes with schizophrenia comes drastic changes in relationships with other people, from close friends to people...
Schizophrenia is a disease that can have devastating effects on a person's ability to function effectively in his or her world. Though there is...
Adherence to medication is important in the treatment of schizophrenia. Listen to experts describe strategies that may help people take their...
See full list of 4 related videos
» Next page: Diagnostic Tests for Schizophrenia
Rate This Website
What do you think about the features of this website?
Take our user survey and have your say:
Website User Survey
Medical Tools & Articles:
Next articles:
Tools & Services:
Medical Articles:
Forums & Message Boards
- Ask or answer a question at the Boards:
