Schizophrenia is a medical illness that causes strange thinking, strange feelings, and unusual behavior. It is an uncommon psychiatric illness in young teens and is hard to recognize in its early phases. Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe, and disabling mental illness. It affects men and women with equal frequency.
Symptoms
Social withdrawal->im not social
Depersonalization (intense anxiety and a feeling of being unreal)-> im always depressed
Loss of hygiene-> rarely shower... i always forget
Hallucinations (eg, hearing things not actually present)-> i hear things when im walking and stop dead looking like an idiot, when its nothing
The sense of being controlled by outside forces-> when i get really mad, it feels as if i cant control myself
Trouble telling dreams from reality-> my nightmares are VERY real and it scares me...
Seeing things and hearing voices, which are not real-> i see shadows that arent real, and i get terrified
Confused thinking-> i can never think straight
Vivid and bizarre thoughts and ideas-> i think weird, and not outside the box weird
Extreme moodiness-> im an asshole most of the time...
Odd behavior - Ideas that people are "out to get them"-> i always feel like someone is watching me, waiting to get the kill
Behaving like a younger child-> im 12.... thats normal atm
Severe anxiety and fearfulness-> im ALWAYS terrified of EVERYTHING
Confusing television with reality-> i look at something in television, and if its in a nightmare it looks real... like, if there is blood the blood looks very real...
Severe problems in making and keeping friends-> i lost my best friends because of my anger issues, and because im strange
Types
Paranoid-type schizophrenia is characterized by delusions and auditory hallucinations but relatively normal intellectual functioning and expression of affect. The delusions can often be about being persecuted unfairly or being some other person who is famous. People with paranoid-type schizophrenia can exhibit anger, aloofness, anxiety, and argumentativeness.
Disorganized-type schizophrenia is characterized by speech and behavior that are disorganized or difficult to understand, and flattening or inappropriate emotions. People with disorganized-type schizophrenia may laugh at the changing color of a traffic light or at something not closely related to what they are saying or doing. Their disorganized behavior may disrupt normal activities, such as showering, dressing, and preparing meals.
Catatonic-type schizophrenia is characterized by disturbances of movement. People with catatonic-type schizophrenia may keep themselves completely immobile or move all over the place. They may not say anything for hours, or they may repeat anything you say or do senselessly. Either way, the behavior is putting these people at high risk because it impairs their ability to take care of themselves.
Undifferentiated-type schizophrenia is characterized by some symptoms seen in all of the above types but not enough of any one of them to define it as another particular type of schizophrenia.
Residual-type schizophrenia is characterized by a past history of at least one episode of schizophrenia, but the person currently has no positive symptoms (delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech or behavior). It may represent a transition between a full-blown episode and complete remission, or it may continue for years without any further psychotic episodes.
Causes
Like many psychiatric disorders, schizophrenia is caused by both enviromental and biological causes.
It occurs in 1% of the population and 10% of people with a first degree relative (parent or sibling) that has schizophrenia. It is long known that it runs in families..
Environmental stressors early in age all the way back to pregnancy are believed to lead to small abnormalities in the brain that can be a cause of schizophrenia as the individual develops. During early childhood and adolescence, environmental factors such as severe stress or viral infections can damage the brain more and are believed to be a cause of schizophrenia. Factors such as vitamin use, education and drug abuse can all are included as a cause of schizophrenia. Also, certain enviromental causes can help decrease the risk of schizophrenia..
Treatment
Treatment can include psychotherapy, medication, and coping with the family.
Psychotherapy is an important supplement to a well established medication plan. This therapy can help educate a person with schizophrenia about social skills, coping skills, advice, and other needed tools to cope with their disorder.
Medications are often a comination of antianxiety, antidepressant, and antipsychotic medication because schizophrenia often appears as signs of all three of anxiety, depression, and psychosis. The biggest obstacle is taking the medication on time and keeping on the schedule for the best effect. It is also difficult to find the proper dosages, regimen and other factors that work for the patient, so it may take some time to get a proper combination of medications and dosages.
i seriously think i have this..
