Schizophrenia: Early Warning Signs and Clinical Features

The word schizophrenia is greek for “split mind” and the condition is characterised by paranoia and delusion. Paranoia is defined as a thought process involving excessive anxiety and fear, often to the point of irrationality. Delusion is a fixed false belief, either fanciful or derived from deception. However, schizophrenia is not the same for everyone and there is a wide spectrum of symptoms.

It is one of the most severe mental illnesses and can affect all spheres of life, including perception, thought, judgement, mood and personality. It’s incidence is not affected by ethnicity or socioeconomic standing and generally develops between the ages of 15 and 25. the schizophrenic population suicides at three times the rate of the general population. A parent or sibling with schizophrenia increases your risk of developing the disease by around 15%.

About a third of schizophrenics will have one or two psychotic episodes and then completely recover, while another third will required ongoing medication and the last third will develop chronic disease, requiring many hospital visits. There are several factors which determine the severity of schizophrenia. These include biological factors, psychological factors and social factors. A stressful environment can also lead to the development of the disease in otherwise healthy people. In schizophrenia the chemistry of the brain is altered and neurotransmitters do not affect receptors in the way that they should.

Early warning signs:

• changes in thinking (difficulty concentrating, poor memory, paranoia, preoccupation with odd ideas)

• changes in mood (rapid mood swings, inappropriate moods)

• changes in behaviour

• physical changes (sleep disturbances/excess sleep or loss of energy)

• social changes (withdrawal from family and friends)

• changes in functioning (decline in work/school performance)

Symptoms include:

• delusions

• hallucinations

• disorganised thinking

• disorganised behaviour

• catatonic behaviour (non-responsive)

• social withdrawal

• loss of motivation

• flat presentation

• speechlessness

• attention deficit

• poor concentration and memory

NB: Some of these symptoms are perfectly normal for some people so don’t panic and assume you have schizophrenia – see your doctor for a more complete assessment and diagnosis! The full diagnostic criteria is classified under DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual Edition 4) if you want to do some more research.

Schizophrenia is generally treated with anti-psychotic drugs as well as social support, counselling and psychotherapy.

If you suspect that someone close to you may be suffering the early signs of a mental illness, whether you suspect schizophrenia or even anxiety or depression, don’t hesitate to talk to your doctor or a counsellor. There are solutions out there so don’t suffer in silence!