Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is the most common severe mental illness. it is characterised by changes in thoughts, perception and behaviour. 1 in 100 people will suffer from schizophrenia as some point in their life. Schizo exists in all cultures in all countries. It usually affects people between 15-45 years. The peak of onset in men is from 21-26 years and in woman 25-32 years. 10% people with schizo commit suicide, this is the ten times higher than the general population.

Genetic risks factors are important in schizo. The general population has 1% chance of developong schizo. The risk increases to 10% among first degree relatives, 14% among non-identical twins, and 47% in identical twins. Social and environmental factors also increase the risk of developing schizo.

These are the unusual experiences that are part of schizo. They sometimes happen in other severe mental illness. 1) hallucinations. A hallucinations happens when you hear, smell, feel or see something when there isn’t anything, or anybody, actually there to hear, smell, feel or sees. In schizo, the commonest hallucination is hearing voices. 2) delusions. A delusions is a particular kind of unusual belief. It can be unusual because it is uncommon or unknown in your culture. It can be unusual because you believe it strongly without having any evidence to support it. 3) muddled thinking (thought disorder). You may find that it is becoming harder to concentrate-you can’t finish an article in the newspaper or watch a tv programme to the end. One of the things that makes it difficult to concentrate is the way that your thoughts connect with each other. 4) feeling of being controlled. When this happens, it can feel as though someone is taking thoughts out of your mind, or putting their thoughts on it. You may feel as though your body is being taken over, or that you are being controlled like a puppet or a robot. 

Another symptoms of schizo  is your interest in life, energy, emotions just seem to drain away. It’s more difficult to feel excited or enthusiastic about anything. You can’t concentrate. You may not bother to get up  or go out of the house. You may feel more uncomfortable with people, and feel that you have nothing to say.

Schizophrenia Screening Test, visit  http://psychcentral.com/quizzes/schizophrenia.htm