whats a schizophrenic?
149247
Schizophrenia is characterised by distortions of thinking and perception and is usually accompanied by emotions that are inappropriate or blunted. Typically there is a disturbance of the most basic functions that give a person the feeling of individuality, uniqueness and self-direction. For example, an individual may believe that intimate thoughts are known by others or that supernatural forces are influencing his or her actions in ways that are often bizarre. Additionally, the individual may lack insight and may not appreciate that there is anything wrong with his or her mental state.\nSchizoaffective disorder is characterised by the presence of affective (depressive or manic) symptoms and schizophrenic symptoms within the same, uninterrupted episode of illness.\n\nThe schizophrenic disorders section of the site features a range of information on schizophrenia, acute and transient psychotic disorders and schizoaffective disorders. Each condition is divided into a number of subsections which can be reached by using the left-hand menu on each page.
112805
Bipolar is another name for schizophrenia, I should think.
396751
Here is an article about a psychologist diagnosed with schizophrenia- he also addresses the issues of professionals with mental illness.
779411
It doesn't sound like schizophrenia to me.  Sounds like a personality trait that might have been helped by her stress of growing up with an unreliable and unsupportive father (because of his illness).
363362
Most of the above people are wrong about the definition of Schizophenia.  In order to recieve this diagnosis, you must have 2 or more of the following:  Delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, disorganized behavior, and/or negative symptoms like flat affect.  You would know if you have it because a doctor would diagnose you with it.  The first episode for males typically happens in the late teens or early twenties.  This is a disorder that is not curable, most people have to take medication regularly for the rest of their lives to manage it.  See:\n\nhttp://www.schizophrenia.com/family/sz.overview.htm
244284
I work with Adults with mental illness. I am also raising 2 of my siblings with it. My father on the other hand is a schizo. I am not and neither are any of my siblings. Though they do have Bi-polar, Mild mental retardation, add, adhd. I told my doctor this before my husband and I first started to try and she told me to take a high dose of Folic Acid. I am 9 weeks pregnant. I feel fine about the decision. \nSchizophrenia can be heridiry. You will not see signs of it until the teenage years. Those of them with it that show signs in the teenage years have a better chance of responding to treatment than those that show symptoms in the 20's.
236690
Schizophrenia is a severe brain disease that interferes with normal brain and mental function—it can trigger hallucinations, delusions, paranoia, and significant lack of motivation. Without treatment, schizophrenia affects the ability to think clearly, manage emotions, and interact appropriately with other people. It is often disabling and can profoundly affect all areas of your life (for example, becoming unable to work or go to school). Being told that you or someone you love has schizophrenia can be frightening or even devastating. The best way to improve your quality of life with schizophrenia is to learn as much as you can about this condition and then adhere to the recommended treatment.\n\nThere are several types of schizophrenia, and the specific types are diagnosed based upon symptoms. The most common type is paranoid schizophrenia, which causes fearful thoughts and hearing threatening voices.\n\nSchizophrenia does not involve multiple personalities and is not the same condition as dissociative identity disorder (also called multiple personality disorder or split personality).\n\nWhat causes schizophrenia?\n\nThere are many theories about the cause of schizophrenia, but none have yet been proven. Schizophrenia may be a genetic disorder, since your chances of developing schizophrenia increase if you have a parent or sibling with the condition. However, most people with relatives who have schizophrenia will not develop it. It may also be related to problems experienced during pregnancy (such as malnutrition, or being exposed to a viral infection) that damages the unborn child's developing nervous system. \n\nWhat are the symptoms?\n\nSchizophrenia causes two groups of symptoms: negative symptoms and positive symptoms. Positive (psychotic) symptoms refer to characteristics that are "added" to your personality. Negative symptoms are capabilities or aspects of your personality that are "lost" with schizophrenia.\n\nNegative symptoms generally include apathy or lack of motivation, self-neglect (such as not bathing), and reduced or inappropriate emotion (such as becoming angry with strangers). Negative symptoms usually appear first and may be confused with depression, and later with other conditions such as substance abuse or bipolar disorder. 1 \n\nPositive symptoms, which generally appear later, include symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized or confusing thoughts and speech.\n\nSymptoms of schizophrenia usually emerge in adolescence or early adulthood. Symptoms can appear suddenly or may develop gradually, often causing the illness to go unrecognized until it is in an advanced stage when it is more difficult to treat.\n\nHow is schizophrenia diagnosed?\n\nSchizophrenia is diagnosed primarily with a medical history and a mental health assessment. Other tests, such as blood tests or imaging tests, may be done to rule out other conditions that can mimic symptoms of schizophrenia.\n\nHow is schizophrenia treated?\n\nThere is no cure for schizophrenia. However, many people can effectively manage their symptoms with medications and professional counseling.\n\nConsistent, long-term treatment is critical to the successful management of schizophrenia. Unfortunately, people with schizophrenia often do not seek treatment or they stop treatment due to unpleasant side effects of medications or lack of support.\n\nHave a Great Day
80944
The words "schizophrenia" and "Paranoid Personality Disorder" are simply a labels used to categorise lists of psychosocial traits that Psychiatry considers to be improper or abnormal in society. Psychiatry defines these traits as "mental illness", and promotes it as a "disease" that requires "treatment".\n\nIt is not a "disease", despite claims made in certain peoples answers here. There is NO credible scientific evidence that shows the existence of what constitutes "schizophrenia" as a biological/neurological disorder, brain abnormality or "chemical imbalance".\n\n"For a disease to exist there must be a tangible, objective physical abnormality that can be determined by a test such as, but not limited to, blood or urine test, X-Ray, brain scan or biopsy. All reputable doctors would agree: No physical abnormality, no disease. In psychiatry, no test or brain scan exists to prove that a 'mental disorder' is a physical disease. Disingenuous comparisons between physical and mental illness and medicine are simply part of psychiatry's orchestrated but fraudulent public relations and marketing campaign." Fred A. Baughman Jr., MD (Neurologist, Pediatric Neurology), & Fellow at the American Academy of Neurology.\n\n"Chemical imbalance…it’s a shorthand term really, it’s probably drug industry derived… We don’t have tests because to do it, you’d probably have to take a chunk of brain out of someone - not a good idea." Dr. Mark Graff, Chair of the Committee of Public Affairs for the American Psychiatric Association. July, 2005.\n\nSymptoms that psychiatry labels as "schizophrenia" (or it's related disorders), can stem from any number of variable sources. Many people have overcome disorders such as "bipolar" and "schizophrenia" through effective megavitamin therapy and effective nutrition. A growing wealth of evidence supports that underlying nutritional deficiencies can cause even the most severe mental disorders, including "schizophrenia". [1,2,3,4,5,6]\n\nYou may also be interested to know that the work undertaken by pioneers such as Dr. Lars Martensson and the late Dr. Loren Mosher show that there is also another way - far safer and more effective than psychiatric restraint, drugs and electro-shocks. For over a decade Loren R Mosher, MD, held a central position in American psychiatric research. He was the first Chief of the Center for Studies of Schizophrenia at the National Institute of Mental Health, 1969-1980. He founded the Schizophrenia Bulletin and for ten years he was its Editor-in-Chief. He also led the Soteria Project, which demonstrated that effective rehabilitation is possible without harmful antipsychotic drugs. Soteria provided a safe and sane environment where schizophrenic patients could stay, medication-free, with a young, nonprofessional staff trained to listen to and understand them and provide companionship. The idea was that schizophrenia can often be overcome with the help of meaningful relationships, rather than with drugs, and that such treatment would eventually lead to unquestionably healthier lives. The results were fantastic. Over just 6 weeks, patients recovered as quickly as those treated with medication in hospitals. [7,8]\n\nBottom line? Psychiatry is a belief-system, a "faith", not a science. Despite the huge marketing strategies, the so-called "research" and all the propaganda thrown at the world, there is not one iota of scientific evidence that proves that "schizophrenia" or ANY mental illness, in fact, exists as an actual --medical disease--.\n\nIf you have been told differently then know this: You have been lied to.\n\nFor more information, please visit:\n\nhttp://groups.msn.com/psychbusters\nDecoding Psychiatric Propaganda\n\nSee also http://www.alternativementalhealth.com/articles/default.htm#S\nand http
100524
Schitzophrenia is one...no it isn't, yes it is, no it isn't, yes it is!  I'll never be able to answer this question with you yelling in my ear...shut up, he asked me stupid.  No he didn't he asked me!!
203114
Get a copy of the DSM-IV TR.  It explains the criteria.  In a nutshell....the person mostly meets criteria for schizophrenia, but also has symptoms of depression and/or bipolar disorder.
273399
Psychosis is one symptom of schizophrenia and a symptom of a type of Bipolar Disorder.  You can have Bipolar without psychosis, but you are pretty much guaranteed to be psychotic if you are diagnosed with schizophrenia.
63467
There are diffrences in the brains of people with schizophrenia. It involves many different areas of the brain. I would reccomend reading these two articles:\n\nhttp://www.schizophrenia.com/research/schiz.brain.htm\n\nhttp://www.schizophrenia.com/szresearch/archives/001062.html\n\nThe second one is an interesting study recently done.\n\nHope this helps a bit.
561212
I'm a schizophrenic and so am I.
163959
The word "schizo-affective disorder" is simply a label used to categorise a list of psychosocial traits that Psychiatry considers to be improper or abnormal in society. Psychiatry defines these traits as a "mental illness", and promotes it as a "disease" that requires "treatment".\n\nIt is not a "disease", despite claims made in certain peoples answers here. There is NO credible scientific evidence that shows the existence of what constitutes "schizophrenia" as a biological/neurological disorder, brain abnormality or "chemical imbalance".\n\n"For a disease to exist there must be a tangible, objective physical abnormality that can be determined by a test such as, but not limited to, blood or urine test, X-Ray, brain scan or biopsy. All reputable doctors would agree: No physical abnormality, no disease. In psychiatry, no test or brain scan exists to prove that a 'mental disorder' is a physical disease. Disingenuous comparisons between physical and mental illness and medicine are simply part of psychiatry's orchestrated but fraudulent public relations and marketing campaign." Fred A. Baughman Jr., MD (Neurologist, Pediatric Neurology), & Fellow at the American Academy of Neurology.\n\n"Chemical imbalance…it’s a shorthand term really, it’s probably drug industry derived… We don’t have tests because to do it, you’d probably have to take a chunk of brain out of someone - not a good idea." Dr. Mark Graff, Chair of the Committee of Public Affairs for the American Psychiatric Association. July, 2005.\n\nSymptoms that psychiatry labels as "schizo-affective", "schizophrenia" (or it's related disorders), can stem from any number of variable sources. Many people have overcome disorders such as "bipolar" and "schizophrenia" through effective megavitamin therapy and effective nutrition. A growing wealth of evidence supports that underlying nutritional deficiencies can cause even the most severe mental disorders, including "schizophrenia". [1,2,3,4,5,6] \n\nYou may also be interested to know that the work undertaken by pioneers such as Dr. Lars Martensson and the late Dr. Loren Mosher show that there is also another way - far safer and more effective than psychiatric restraint, drugs and electro-shocks. For over a decade Loren R Mosher, MD, held a central position in American psychiatric research. He was the first Chief of the Center for Studies of Schizophrenia at the National Institute of Mental Health, 1969-1980. He founded the Schizophrenia Bulletin and for ten years he was its Editor-in-Chief. He also led the Soteria Project, which demonstrated that effective rehabilitation is possible without harmful antipsychotic drugs. Soteria provided a safe and sane environment where schizophrenic patients could stay, medication-free, with a young, nonprofessional staff trained to listen to and understand them and provide companionship. The idea was that schizophrenia can often be overcome with the help of meaningful relationships, rather than with drugs, and that such treatment would eventually lead to unquestionably healthier lives. The results were fantastic. Over just 6 weeks, patients recovered as quickly as those treated with medication in hospitals. [7,8] \n\nBottom line? Psychiatry is a belief-system, a "faith", not a science. Despite the huge marketing strategies, the so-called "research" and all the propaganda thrown at the world, there is not one iota of scientific evidence that proves that "schizophrenia" or ANY mental illness, in fact, exists as an actual --medical disease--.\n\nIf you have been told differently then know this: You have been lied to.\n\nFor more information, please visit:\n\nhttp://groups.msn.com/psychbusters\nDecoding Psychiatric Propaganda\n\nSee also http://www.alternativementalhealth.com/articles/default.htm#S\nand http:/
369174
Its like manic depression. You can have extreme highs and be happy one day, and the next you could feel your lowest and just want to die. Usually your thinking is off track and it is usually misdiagnosed for schizophrenia. You also might do sudden impulsive things like want to take a bus and go across the country.
170228
Psychoses are disorders when a person "breaks with reality".  Some symptoms could include hallucinations (seeing, smelling, feeling, hearing things that aren't there) and delusions.  Schizophrenia is a type of psychosis. Many psychoses are highly treatable.
373763
Tell him you're worried about him and see what he says...I've come across some people who are schizophrenic, and they talk and talk and talk and make up a lot of what they say-usually schizophrenics just want people to listen to them, that's all.  Say stuff like, "I know your job sucks, man, you can do better," and things like that.  He can still change jobs; some older people stay at the same job for years and years because they're afraid nothing else is out there for them.  I know this eighty-year-old guy who works at a doughnut shop & he probably hates it, but he doesn't get all upset about it.