Schizophrenia

• What is Schizophrenia?
• More information

What is Schizophrenia?

• Schizophrenia is an illness that can be treated
• One in a hundred people will experience schizophrenia during their lifetime
• The majority of people with schizophrenia will lead ordinary lives.

Schizophrenia is a mental illness. The first acute episode can be a devastating experience, particularly as both the person experiencing the illness and those close to him will be unprepared. About one in a hundred people world-wide experience at least one such episode at some time during their lives, although the highest incidence is in the late teens and early 20's. In about one quarter of cases there is eventually a full recovery. The majority will have long periods of good functioning, with occasional problems. The recent discovery of new forms of treatment may lead to further improvement in rates of recovery, particularly if everyone involved, ie. both the person with schizophrenia and their family, learns to understand how to cope.

In schizophrenia the activity of chemical messengers at certain nerve endings in the brain is unusual and this may be a clue to the causes of the disorder. During what is sometimes referred to as "an acute episode" the mental processes of experiencing and thinking become distorted. When severe, this can lead to intense panic, anger, depression, elation or over-activity, perhaps punctuated by periods of withdrawal. It is not surprising that other people, particularly family and friends, find the changes incomprehensible and are themselves devastated.

One common misconception is that schizophrenia is the result of 'split personality'. In fact 'multiple personality', the correct term, is very rare and has nothing to do with schizophrenia. The mistake comes from the fact that the name 'schizophrenia' was coined from two Greek words meaning 'split' and 'mind'. It was intended to represent the fact that processes of thought, feeling and intention, guiding the person's actions, no longer interact to form a coherent whole.

The symptoms of schizophrenia can be divided into two groups, called 'positive', eg hallucinations and delusions, and 'negative', eg slowness to move, think, speak or react. 'Positive' because these are new experiences and 'negative' because these are every day parts of life, at a reduced level. These may occur together, separately or alternately. A person affected by schizophrenia may also experience secondary symptoms such as depression, as a result of the difficulties he may experience in learning to cope with day to day living.

Source: © National Schizophrenia Fellowship.