Schizophrenia is a complex, long-term mental health condition that affects how a person thinks, feels, and behaves. Doctors often describe schizophrenia as a type of psychosis. This means the person may not always be able to distinguish their own thoughts and ideas from reality.
Symptoms of schizophrenia can include:
- hallucinations – hearing or seeing things that do not exist outside of the mind
- delusions – unusual beliefs not based on reality
- muddled thoughts and speech based on hallucinations or delusions
- losing interest in everyday activities
- not wanting to look after yourself and your needs, such as not caring about your personal hygiene
- wanting to avoid people, including friends
- feeling disconnected from your feelings or emotions
While the exact cause of schizophrenia is unknown, experts believe the condition is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental reasons.
It's thought that some people are more vulnerable to developing schizophrenia, and certain situations can trigger the condition such as a stressful life event or drug misuse.
Schizophrenia is usually treated with a combination of medicine and therapy tailored to each individual. In most cases, this will be antipsychotic medicines and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).
People with schizophrenia usually receive help from a community mental health team, which can offer day-to-day support and treatment, depending on the needs of each individual.
Many people recover from schizophrenia, although they may have periods when symptoms return (relapses).
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