Signs of Schizophrenia – The Warning Comes Early
Schizophrenia is a mental condition that affects about 1% of the total population in the USA. It is a mental condition that is not very easy to diagnose because very often the person does not show any significant outward appearance of illness. The problem can be diagnosed only when the person is evaluated by a certified psychiatrist and/ or a qualified psychologist.
What Are The Signs That Point To Schizophrenia?
There are many symptoms that will give early warning about the onset of schizophrenia. Here are a few symptoms that you could watch out for:
Physical Symptoms
Physical symptoms include the following:
- Vacant look on the face
- Odd ticks, muscle movement such as winking, movement of mouth or tongue, making a grimacing face, etc.
- Awkward way of walking – obviously not normal
- The person moves very slowly – becomes catatonic; or movement is sped up – becomes hyper such as walks up and down, does everything too fast
- Inability to focus on anything that moves slow
- Involuntary movements of the limbs, tremors, jerky movements
- High sensitivity to stimuli – cannot bear light or sound
- Sleep problems – either cannot sleep or sleep too much
Emotional Symptoms
There are visible emotional changes among which the following:
- Feeling acute anxiety for no apparent reason
- Suicidal talk and feelings
- Imagines how the suicide will take place
- Quick mood changes – happiness to anger and vice-versa without provocation
- No enthusiasm about anything
- Highly depressed state of mind
- Sudden hostile or resenting behavior for no apparent reason
Symptoms That Relate To Behavior
- Inability to socialize
- Distancing from friends, shunning contact and dialogue
- Visible personal care neglect
- Alcohol, drugs or other substance abuse
- Deterioration in work, performance levels
- Suddenly getting disconnected with reality – seems lost in thought
- Withdrawal from ‘worldly’ activities; prefers to spend time alone in closed room apparently only thinking.
- Inappropriate reaction to reality; smiling at the mention of a person’s death or becoming sad when a joyful news is given.
Hallucinations
Among all symptoms these are the scariest and most disturbing. The person would “see” and “hear” things that do not actually happen. These visual and auditory hallucinations are as real for the schizophrenic person as any other person around them.