Schizophrenia is one of the most disturbing chronic mental disorders. Neither the exact cause of the disease is known nor is there a cure. However, if a diagnosis is made at the very beginning and a holistic treatment is instituted immediately, the individual can lead an active, productive and socially acceptable life. The biggest problem is the periodic, unpredictable episodess the disease has. A commitment of a very high order is required by the family in looking after the patient. The medication has to be continuous even during the remittance period as the disease relapses quiet immediately after the interruption in treatment.

Researchers have suggested that the disease has no single cause but is actually a combination of heredity, immune system disorder, developmental defects in the neuron connections and pathways in the brain during gestation. Exposure to severe viral infections like children born to mothers who had severe viral infections during their pregnancy and people who were exposed to severe viral infections during hospitalization run a heightened risk of getting schizophrenia. Most importantly, schizophrenia happens because of an imbalance between the three neurotransmitters: dopamine, glutamate, and serotonin. This imbalance makes these people handle sensory inputs like loud sounds, very bright lights, and strong smell in a different way than the ordinary people who take these things in their stride.

Here are the top 5 schizophrenia signs.

Delusion and hallucinations
There is a common perception in public that these are the same. Delusion is false beliefs that one harbors like someone is always watching them or spying on them or the individual is a famous person, while hallucination is seeing or feeling things that are not there like sounds only the individual hears etc.

Disordered thinking and speech
Individual cannot stay on a subject, jumps from one to another incoherently. They may coin their own words or sound to rhyme in a way that does not make any sense. Disorganized behavior can manifest as having problems in routine things like personal hygiene or selecting appropriate dress.

These are considered as positive symptoms as these are additions to one’s personality. A schizophrenic person also exhibits changes that are considered as a loss from one’s personality. These are called negative symptoms.

Social withdrawal and lack of emotions
Schizophrenics withdraw from social interactions. The patient prefers loneliness rather than company or go out and take part in social intermingling or interactions.The patient has a lack of emotions too.

Lack of drive or initiative
The patient has no desire to do anything at all.