Schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder that affects a person’s thinking, emotions, and behavior. This article will help you better understand schizophrenia, common symptoms, the groups most at risk, and the dangerous complications that may occur.
What is schizophrenia?
Schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder characterized by a disconnect between a person’s thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Individuals with this condition often have difficulty perceiving and understanding reality around them. They may feel detached from those around them and exhibit unusual thoughts and behaviors that they cannot control.
Schizophrenia is not a rare condition, yet many people still do not fully understand its causes, symptoms, or treatment methods. Although no definitive cause has been identified, genetic factors, living environment, and biological elements all play important roles in the development of the disorder.
The symptoms of schizophrenia can vary from person to person, but most patients experience severe symptoms affecting their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Schizophrenia symptoms are divided into two main types: positive symptoms and negative symptoms.
Positive symptoms
Delusions
Delusions are one of the hallmark symptoms of schizophrenia, characterized by false beliefs or mistaken thoughts that do not align with reality, yet the patient considers them completely accurate and cannot be reasoned or persuaded otherwise. Delusions only diminish when the illness improves or resolves. Some common types of delusions include:
-
Persecutory delusions: The patient believes they are being watched or attacked by some force.
-
Grandiose delusions: The patient believes they have extraordinary abilities or powers beyond others.
-
Referential delusions: The patient thinks that everything around them has a special connection to themselves. They may believe people are looking at them in a particular way, talking about them, mocking or ridiculing them. In others’ behaviors or words, the patient interprets hidden meanings or personal references.
-
Delusions of being harmed: The patient insists that a person or group is plotting to harm them in various ways, such as poisoning, assassination, imprisonment, or taking their possessions. Sometimes they specifically name the perpetrators, often close relatives or colleagues (spouse, parents, boss, coworkers, etc.).
-
Delusions of control: The patient believes that someone with power or authority is controlling their thoughts, behaviors, and emotions through some means.
-
Jealous delusions: Without concrete evidence, or based on illogical phenomena, the patient believes their partner (spouse or lover) is unfaithful or having an illicit relationship with someone else.
-
Delusions of guilt or self-blame: The patient sees themselves as morally corrupt, inferior, or responsible for major mistakes. Such delusions often lead to suicidal thoughts or actions.
-
Delusions of grandeur: These vary widely; some patients believe they are extremely intelligent, talented, capable of anything, or physically stronger than anyone else. Others believe they hold high status or power nationally or globally, are related to great historical figures, or are the wealthiest person alive with unlimited riches.
Hallucinations
Hallucinations are perceptions or sensations that seem real but involve objects or phenomena that do not exist in objective reality. They appear and disappear independently of the patient’s will. Hallucinations may occur with or without disturbances in consciousness (delirium, dreams) or thought disorders (loss of judgment about the false perception). They can affect any sensory modality (e.g., auditory, visual, olfactory, tactile, or gustatory), but auditory hallucinations are the most common and characteristic of schizophrenia.
Auditory hallucinations occur in approximately 60–70% of patients with schizophrenia. Patients hear voices that are not real, yet they perceive them as real. The content varies widely; sometimes the hallucinations are simple sounds such as bells, sirens, gunshots, or engine noises, but most often they are voices.
The voices are very clear, often perceived as coming from a specific location in space, speaking directly to the patient, sometimes hearing two or more voices conversing about the patient. They may increase or decrease in intensity and appear cyclically. The content of the voices can include scolding, threatening, giving orders, mocking, praising, or mixed commentary. Auditory hallucinations strongly affect the patient’s emotions and behaviors, leading to distress, fear, suicidal thoughts, or aggression. Patients may respond in various ways: listening intently, covering their ears, inserting cotton into their ears, talking to the voices, or whispering replies.
Disorganized thinking is another symptom of schizophrenia, causing patients to have difficulty thinking logically and coherently. They may speak in unclear sentences with ideas that are not closely connected, making communication very difficult. This not only affects their ability to work but also disrupts their personal relationships.
Motor and behavioral disorders
Patients may exhibit bizarre or atypical behaviors, sometimes engaging in actions that cannot be explained. Some may stand motionless for long periods or move in unusual ways without an apparent reason. Others may display violent behavior or self-harm.
Negative symptoms
Flattened affect
Flattened affect is a common symptom, characterized by a monotonous, unchanging, and unexpressive facial expression. Patients lose openness in communication and show little interest in their surroundings. However, a patient with flattened affect may sometimes smile or show brief facial expressions, but their emotional display is noticeably reduced for most of the time, lacking consistency and failing to meet normal emotional standards.
They often exhibit behaviors such as smiling to themselves (smirking or silent laughter), muttering to themselves, poor personal hygiene, and wandering aimlessly.
Avolition (loss of will)
Patients lose initiative and motivation, and their activities become ineffective. Occupational habits gradually disappear to the point where they no longer want to do anything, leading to a reduced capacity for work. They may lose their jobs, adopt a deteriorating lifestyle, and remain inactive, doing nothing but lying around.
Poverty of speech
Speech is limited in quantity and content, slow, and often fragmented.
Groups commonly affected by schizophrenia
Schizophrenia can occur in anyone, but certain groups are at higher risk, including:
-
Individuals with a family history of mental illness: If a family member has schizophrenia, other family members have a higher risk of developing the disorder.
-
Young adults: The condition typically appears between the ages of 18 and 30, especially in men.
-
Those who have experienced stress or psychological trauma: Events such as the loss of a loved one or abuse can increase the risk of developing the disorder.
-
Substance users: Abuse of drugs or alcohol can also raise the risk of developing schizophrenia.
Some common complications in patients with schizophrenia
If not treated promptly and properly, schizophrenia can lead to several serious complications, including:
-
Reduced quality of life: Patients may have difficulty maintaining work, studies, and social relationships, leading to isolation and a decreased quality of life.
-
Self-harm: Due to negative thoughts, patients may have tendencies to harm themselves or experience suicidal ideation.
-
Physical health problems: Patients with schizophrenia may develop lifestyle-related health issues, such as high blood pressure, obesity, or diabetes, due to a sedentary lifestyle and long-term medication use.
Hoang Yen Psychiatric Clinic – a trusted address for the examination and treatment of schizophrenia
Hoang Yen Psychiatric Clinic is a leading and reputable address for the examination and treatment of schizophrenia in Vietnam. With a team of highly experienced specialists, notably Dr. Nguyen Hoang Yen, the clinic provides comprehensive care, from accurate diagnosis to effective treatment methods.
We follow a scientific examination process, combining clinical assessment, supportive testing, and psychological counseling to develop treatment plans tailored to each patient. Additionally, the clinic maintains a quiet and friendly environment, helping patients and their families feel secure throughout the treatment process.
With its credibility, expertise, and comprehensive treatment approach, Hoang Yen Psychiatric Clinic is a trusted choice for mental health care, supporting patients in recovery and reintegration into daily life.
Contact Information:
-
Address: No. 12, Alley 44 Do Quang Street, Yen Hoa Ward, Hanoi
-
Hotline: 0974 509 322
Schizophrenia is a serious disorder, but with timely intervention from specialists, patients can fully manage their condition. Proper awareness of the symptoms and seeking help from experts is the crucial first step in the treatment process. Hopefully, this article has helped you better understand schizophrenia and the issues related to this condition.
