Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness that affects how a person thinks, feels, and behaves. People with schizophrenia may seem like they have lost touch with reality, which causes significant distress for the individual, their family members, and friends. If left untreated, the symptoms of schizophrenia can be persistent and disabling. However, effective treatments are available. When delivered in a timely, coordinated, and sustained manner, treatment can help affected individuals to engage in school or work, achieve independence, and enjoy personal relationships.

Schizophrenia is typically diagnosed in the late teen years to the early thirties and tends to emerge earlier in males than females. A diagnosis of schizophrenia often follows the first episode of psychosis, when individuals first display symptoms of schizophrenia. The symptoms of schizophrenia generally fall into the following three categories:

Psychotic symptoms include altered perceptions abnormal thinking, and odd behaviors. Specifically, individuals typically experience:

• Hallucinations
• Delusions
• Thought disorder

Negative symptoms include loss of motivation, disinterest or lack of enjoyment in daily activities, social withdrawal etc. Specifically, individuals typically have:

• Reduced motivation and difficulty planning, beginning, and sustaining activities
• Diminished feelings of pleasure in everyday life
• “Flat affect,” or reduced expression of emotions via facial expression or voice tone
• Reduced speaking

Cognitive symptoms include problems in attention, concentration, and memory. Specifically, individuals typically experience:

• Difficulty processing information to make decisions
• Problems using information immediately after learning it
• Trouble focusing or paying attention

The causes of schizophrenia are complex and are not fully understood, so current treatments focus on managing symptoms and solving problems related to day to day functioning. Treatments include:

• Antipsychotic Medications
• Psychosocial Treatments
• Family Education and Support
• Coordinated Specialty Care
• Assertive Community Treatment