Schizophrenia is a serious disorder which affects how a person thinks, feels and acts. Someone with schizophrenia may have difficulty distinguishing between what is real and what is imaginary; may be unresponsive or withdrawn; and may have difficulty expressing normal emotions in social situations.
Contrary to public perception, schizophrenia is not split personality or multiple personality. The vast majority of people with schizophrenia are not violent and do not pose a danger to others. Schizophrenia is not caused by childhood experiences, poor parenting or lack of willpower, nor are the symptoms identical for each person.
Symptoms of schizophrenia are often categorized into three areas:
- Positive symptoms are disturbances that are “added” to the person’s personality.
- Delusions — false ideas–individuals may believe that someone is spying on him or her, or that they are someone famous.
- Hallucinations — seeing, feeling, tasting, hearing or smelling something that doesn’t exist to those around the individual. The most common experience is hearing voices that give commands or comments to the individual.
- Disordered thinking and speech — moving from one topic to another, in a nonsensical fashion. Individuals may make up their own words or sounds.
- Negative symptoms are capabilities that are “lost” from the person’s personality.
- Social withdrawal
- Extreme apathy
- Lack of drive or initiative
- Emotional unresponsiveness
- Cognitive impairments often are independent of psychotic symptoms but can greatly impact the individual’s ability to function in society (ex. hold a job).
- Poor “executive functioning” (the ability to understand information and use it to make decisions)
- Trouble focusing or paying attention.
- Problems with “working memory” (the ability to use information immediately after learning it)
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5) defines Schizophrenia in the following way:
Schizophrenia 295.90 (F20.9)
- Two (or more) of the following, each present for a significant portion of time during a 1-month period (or less if successfully treated). At least one of these must be (1), (2), or (3):
- Delusions.
- Hallucinations.
- Disorganized speech (eg, frequent derailment or incoherence)
- Grossly disorganized or catatonic behavior.
- Negative symptoms (ie, diminished emotional expression or avolition).
- For a significant portion of the time since the onset of the disturbance, level of functioning in one or more major areas, such as work, interpersonal relationships, or self-care, is markedly below the level achieved prior to the onset (or when the onset is in childhood or adolescence, there is failure to achieve expected level of interpersonal, academic, or occupational functioning).
- Continuous signs of the disturbance persist for at least 6 months. This 6-month period must include at least 1 month of symptoms (or less, if successfully treated) that meet Criterion A (ie, active phase symptoms) and may include periods of prodomal or residual symptoms. During these prodromal or residual periods, the signs of the disturbances may be manifested by only negative symptoms or by two or more symptoms listed in Criterion A present in an attenuated form (eg, odd beliefs, unusual perceptual experiences).
- Schizoaffective disorder and depressive or bipolar disorder with psychotic features have been ruled out because either 1) no major depressive or manic episodes have occurred concurrently with the active-phase symptoms, or 2) if mood episodes have occurred during active-phase symptoms, they have been present for a minority of the total duration of the active and residual periods of the illness.
- The disturbance is not attributable to the physiological effects of a substance (eg, a drug of abuse, a medication) or another medical condition.
- If there is a history of autism spectrum disorder or a communication disorder of childhood onset, the additional diagnosis of schizophrenia is made only if prominent delusions or hallucinations, in addition to the other required symptoms of schizophrenia, are also present for at least 1 month (or less if successfully treated).
How can I help?
- If it is an emergency, immediately call emergency services. Request an officer with Crisis Intervention Training if possible, and alert the responders of any diagnosis or medications.
- If it is not an emergency, and there is no threat, then there is little you can do.
- You can, however try to seek external aid. A few resources follow below:
- NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) is a great resource for those in the USA. It has tools on the front page for locating centers near you, helplines, information, and ways to find support.
- The Hearing Voices Network is an international movement to bring awareness to and provide support to people who hear voices, whether they have a mental illness or not. They have a link here where you may find a meetup group in your area. There is a lot of great information on this website.
- 2-1-1 is a free and confidential service that helps people across North America find local resources they need. It’s also a phone number you can call to reach the same service.
- Job Accommodation Network (JAN) provides free, confidential assistance with job accommodation ideas, requesting and negotiating accommodations, rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and related laws, and finding federal, state, and local resources for job-seekers and employees with disabilities.
- The Shreveport Behavioral Health Clinic is local, and may be able to help find suitable therapists/hospitals/resources. They have mobile resources available to help with face-to-face interventions. Their crisis line can be reached at: 866-416-5370. Their website provides a variety of additional resources: https://nlhsd.org Their local number is: 318-676-5111
- Another local resource: Community Healthcare Solutions, 1519 Creswell Avenue, Shreveport, LA 71101. (318) 869-1899. Our contact is Dr. Yolanda Burnom, Director. They provide outreach, therapy, and have a psychiatrist for medication management.
