Sentiens Health

Schizophrenia is a serious, potentially chronic mental illness, which affects thinking, emotions and behaviour. The illness often lasts for a long time and can be very disabling. Contrary to common belief, schizophrenia is not ‘split personality’, a term that serves to further stigmatize this serious illness.

It is a common misconception in society that someone who suffers from schizophrenia can appear perfectly normal at one time and be a deranged killer at another. This is exceptionally rarely the case. People who suffer from schizophrenia are infrequently dangerous. If someone with schizophrenia does become violent, it is often with their loved ones.  This can be very distressing for all involved.  Just as in the general population, violence is more likely when someone has a history of aggression and substance abuse.  In some cases, violence occurs as a result of the symptoms of the illness, such as delusions of persecution, where the person is convinced that they are in danger and must defend themselves.

People misuse the word schizophrenia in two different ways. They may mean having mixed or contradictory feelings about something which could be had by anybody, much better described as ambivalence, as in a ‘love-hate’ relationship. Or, just as commonly, they may be behaving in very different ways at different times. Again, this is characteristic of human nature.

People with schizophrenia often experience thoughts, feelings and actions are somewhat disconnected from each other so that what a person says may be unmatched with what they feel or do. This may be easier to illustrate by describing the symptoms. These are divided into ‘positive’ symptoms, which are abnormal experiences, and negative symptoms, which are more an absence of normal behaviour such as lack of motivation or lack of pleasure, similar to the symptoms of depression.

Schizophrenia is found all over the world, and studies have found that rates of the illness are fairly constant across countries. The severity of the symptoms and long-lasting, chronic pattern of schizophrenia often cause a high degree of disability. Medications and other treatments for schizophrenia, when used regularly and as prescribed, can help reduce and control the distressing symptoms of the illness. However, some people are not greatly helped by available treatments or may prematurely discontinue treatment because of unpleasant side effects or other reasons such as lack of insight. Even when treatment is effective, persisting consequences of the illness such as lost opportunities, stigma, residual symptoms, and medication side effects can be very troubling for all involved.