February 16, 2023

Schizophrenia symptoms

How do I talk about schizophrenia in a simple way? Let’s try this.
Idea: A schizophrenia diagnosis can be made when at least two psychotic symptoms occur for at least six months. So at least two symptoms for a period not less than six months. Okay, but what are the psychotic symptoms? They are delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, grossly disorganized behaviour, and negative symptoms. Let’s look at them.

Anthony reads the post:

Delusions
You may have said to someone: "Are you delusional?". Why did you say this? They were probably saying something that was not logic, even absurd. A delusion is a misconception of reality strongly supported and not modifiable. Example. "Angelina Jolie is in love with me", I know this because in her films, she is winking at me. No matter what you say to me, I know that she loves me. This is a (simplified) example of "erotomaniac" delirium.

Hallucinations
These are easy to explain because we experience our senses daily. Hearing someone's voice who is not in the room, would worry us, because we do not know the origin of that voice. Hallucinations are perceptive experiences that seem extremely real. The auditory hallucinations are the most frequent, but they can also affect other senses.

Disorganized speech
How can we say that thoughts are not in order? Well... we must rely on when thoughts are expressed in speech. You start a discussion about pizza with your friend, but it seems that they are talking about everything except pizza (it is called tangential speech). Another example is when your friend this time passes from one topic to another quickly without carrying on the discussion (it is called derailment). 

Grossly disorganized behaviour
Now disorganization is not in language but in movement. Your friend this time does not seem to be reacting to what is happening around him (technically catatonia). If you tell them to raise their hand, they resist (negativism), and they don't respond to what you say (mutism). The extreme situation is total absence of motor responses and is called stupor. Search "stupor" on google images to get an intuitive idea of what it is.

Negative symptoms
I remember them as the four "a": anhedonia, abulia, alogia, asocial. Okay, did I use words you’ve never met? Now let’s sort things out. Meanwhile in the medical field the a- prefix means that something is missing. Anhedonia: what is missing? The ability to feel pleasure. Abulia: what is missing? The willingness to start any task (not just housework). Alogia: what is missing? Language. Speeches are poor in content. Asocial: what is missing? The search for social contact. There is also emotional flattening, but I think you can guess what it is. 

Please take these definitions as extremely simplified, and even with some technical inaccuracy they must deliver an idea to someone who has no specific training in psychology or psychiatry.
 
I’m not sure, have I talked about schizophrenia? I'm sure I talked about psychotic symptoms. Did you understand them? Have you had direct or indirect experience with any of these symptoms?

If you want me to describe in my own words a topic of psychology, please request it in the comment section.

Cited sources: DSM5 - Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

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