What is schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is a mental illness with many symptoms that can include: “interpreting reality abnormally”,¹¹ and having muddled thoughts and changes in behavior.³

The condition results in interference with the way a person thinks,³ feels,⁹ behaves³ and perceives the world and themselves.³ The most noticeable symptoms include hallucinations, delusions, disordered thinking, and unusual behavior.³ Other, less obvious symptoms may include poor self-esteem,⁴ and lack of motivation¹³⁶ and warmth.⁴ Read more

There are three main groups of schizophrenia symptoms: negative, positive and cognitive.² These symptoms can result in changes in behavior and thinking; and they are experienced by people in different ways.³¹²

• Negative symptoms – make it hard to express your emotions⁵⁶ and to function normally.²¹³ They include avoiding people,⁵ lack of motivation¹³⁶ or enthusiasm,¹⁵ not talking much,³⁶ and an inability to enjoy life.⁷
• Positive symptoms – may make it difficult to distinguish the difference between what is real and what is imagined.² Positive symptoms include hallucinations and delusions.¹²³
• Cognitive symptoms – relate to the ability to think,⁷ and can include poor memory,⁷¹⁴ lack of attention⁷ and poor concentration.¹⁴