Five facts about schizophrenia

What is schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is a mental illness in which someone experiences symptoms of psychosis for at least 6 months, along with a decline in their ability to function (12).

But, the reality is we still don’t fully understand it, and unfortunately, misconceptions and stigma are often born from the unknown (16).

Before we get the facts straight, here are some definitions:

Psychosis describes a state where a person has difficulty making the distinction between what is real and what is not (7,9).

Delusions are strong beliefs that are maintained with conviction despite evidence to the contrary (e.g. being followed or monitored by camera) (7,12).

Hallucinations can affect all senses. Feeling, seeing, smelling, hearing, or tasting things that are not there are all hallucinations. In psychosis, hearing voices are the most common type of hallucination (7,12).

Cognitive symptoms affect the thinking processes. It can manifest as disorganized speech (i.e. discussion changing between seemingly unrelated topics), thoughts (i.e. hard time concentrating and following conversations), and/or behaviours (i.e. difficulties performing day-to-day activities) (5,12).

Other symptoms will involve a reduction or loss of normal functioning, including emotional expression (i.e. restricted facial expression), speech, social interaction, motivation, and pleasure (5,7,12).

Knowing the signs can help increase awareness and thus promote early detection and treatment (5).

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We still don’t fully understand the complex mental illness that is schizophrenia.

Unfortunately, misconceptions and stigma are often born from the unknown.#ScienceUpFirst

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— ScienceUpFirst | LaScienced’Abord (@ScienceUpFirst) May 25, 2023

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