Schizophrenia: what is it?
People affected by schizophrenia suffer from disorders of thinking, feelings, behavior (including motivation) and perception. Their movement habits can also be strange. Self-perception is affected (Who am I? What am I like?). To some extent, they do not perceive the surrounding reality as real. However, sufferers do not believe they are someone else or multiple persons at once, as is the case with multiple personality disorder .
Basic information about schizophrenia
Against the myth that people with schizophrenia are dangerous, scientific studies can present other facts. Disabled people are at greater risk of becoming a victim of crime than being a perpetrator. The disease peaks between the ages of 20 and 30. In women, the disease occurs as often as in men, although it usually begins a little later. Illnesses belonging to the field of schizophrenic disorders appear in all cultural circles and social strata.
Note: There is an increased risk of suicide in people suffering from schizophrenia . If the sufferer talks about suicide, it should always be taken seriously and a doctor should be consulted immediately. The disabled person must not be left alone in this situation under any circumstances.
Forms of schizophrenia
The course of the disease is individual. It usually takes place in individual stages. Some sufferers make a full recovery, while others live with less severe symptoms. Some patients experience only one or a few episodes of schizophrenia. Since this disease manifests itself in such different forms, it is not always easy to recognize it.
Three main forms of schizophrenia
In general, three main forms of schizophrenia are distinguished:
- Paranoid schizophrenia : This subgroup is characterized by delusions (eg, paranoia) or hallucinations (eg, “hearing voices”).
- Catatonic schizophrenia : This form usually begins suddenly and is associated with movement disorders . Disabled people have phases during which they do not move at all or hardly ( stupor ), while other phases are characterized by agitation . In a stupor, the affected person remains motionless, has a rigid facial expression and does not respond to external stimuli. Consciousness and perception are not necessarily impaired. Repetitive (stereotyped) movements or verbal expressions can also be observed.
- Undifferentiated schizophrenia : This form cannot be clearly assigned to one of the other subtypes or represents a mixed form.
In addition, there is a so-called schizophrenic residue . It often appears during the chronic course or between acute episodes of the disease. Lack of motivation, social withdrawal and limitations in experiencing feelings are characteristic. Schizophrenia patients also often experience lapses in concentration and short-term memory and depressed mood.
The causes are not exactly known
Although research into the mechanisms of this mental illness is ongoing , it is still not clear exactly why it occurs. There are apparently factors that increase the likelihood of developing schizophrenia. It can be, for example, genetic load, stress, events before or during birth (e.g. severe infection ), psychosocial complications (e.g. childhood trauma , family problems) or substance abuse . It is possible that on a neurobiological level, an imbalance in the metabolism of dopamine contributes to the resulting difficulties (see the article Neurotransmitters : messengers inside the brain ). Depending on the area of the brain where there is an excess or deficiency of dopamine, there are disorders of motivation or thinking, or psychotic phenomena such as hallucinations or delusions (e.g. paranoia ).
Nowadays, we are based on the stress vulnerability model . He states that under disadvantageous conditions (e.g. a combination of the listed risk factors ), normal coping patterns fail and psychosis appears.
