Schizophrenia Resource Center - All Articles

Schizophrenia - All Articles

Schizophrenia is a chronic mental illness that affects your ability to think, feel, and behave coherently. Symptoms of schizophrenia include hallucinations, delusions, disorganized thinking, and reduced emotional expression. Schizophrenia is typically treated with a combination of antipsychotic medications, psychotherapy, and support services to help manage symptoms and improve quality of life.

Common Questions & Answers

What are the main symptoms of schizophrenia?

Symptoms of schizophrenia include hallucinations, paranoia, lack of energy, disorganized thinking, and delusions. People with schizophrenia may also withdraw socially and neglect their personal hygiene.

Schizophrenia does tend to run in families. The risk of developing schizophrenia is about six times higher in people who have a parent or sibling with the illness than it is among the general population.

Mental health professionals primarily diagnose schizophrenia through clinical evaluation, talking with the patient, observing symptoms, and ruling out other psychiatric disorders. Blood tests and brain imaging scans are also sometimes used to rule out other potential causes, such as neurological diseases or substance use.

Antipsychotic medications are the mainstay of schizophrenia treatment, along with psychotherapy, social skills training, and vocational support. People with schizophrenia may need to be hospitalized if they experience severe symptoms or are thought to be a danger to themselves or others.

There is no cure for schizophrenia, but sticking to a treatment plan can help people with the disease manage their symptoms and allow them to lead productive lives.

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Resources
  1. Schizophrenia. National Institute of Mental Health. December 2024.

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