Schizophrenia affects the way people think,
behave and react, when they are influenced by its active symptoms.
Schizophrenic symptoms can be divided into three categories:
positive symptoms, disorganized symptoms, and negative symptoms.
1. Positive symptoms: This refers to having symptoms that ordinarily
should not be there. Positive symptoms are sometimes called
psychotic symptoms since the patient has lost touch with reality
in certain important ways.
Some of the positive symptoms are:
- Delusions: A false/unreal belief that people with schizophrenia
sometimes have. Their belief may be that people are reading
their thoughts, that someone is plotting against them,
or that they can control other people’s minds.
- Hallucinations: This refers to hearing, seeing, smelling,
or feelings that are not there.
2. Disorganized symptoms:
- Thought and speech: People with schizophrenia sometimes
have trouble communicating in coherent sentences or carrying
on a conversation.
- Behaviour: Schizophrenia can cause people to move more
slowly, repeat rhythmic gestures, or make ritualistic
movements.
- Perceptions: People with schizophrenia sometimes have
a hard time making sense of everyday sights, sounds, and
feelings. Their perception of what is going on around
them may be distorted so that ordinary things appear distracting
or frightening. They may be extra-sensitive to background
noises and colors and shapes.
3. Negative symptoms: Negative refers to a lack of certain
characteristics that should be there. The symptoms are not
as dramatic as positive symptoms, but they can interfere significantly
with the person’s functioning.
- Flat/blunted emotions: schizophrenia can make people
with it have difficulties to express their emotions clearly.
They may speak in a monotone or show little expression
on their faces.
- Lack of motivation/energy: People with schizophrenia
may seem to lack energy and have trouble starting projects
or following through with things. At the extreme, they
may have to be reminded to do simple things like taking
a bath or changing clothes.
- Lack of interest: People with schizophrenia may not
take much pleasure or interest in the things around them,
even things they used to find enjoyable. They may feel
that it is not worth the effort to get out and do things.
- Limited speech: Their speech is brief and lacks content.
They often have trouble carrying on a continuous conversation
or saying anything new.
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