Schizophrenia Essay

Schizophrenia is a mental illness that affects how people think, act, feel, and perceive reality. It involves psychosis, a type of mental illness in which a person can not tell what is real from what is imagined, thus, people with schizophrenia struggle in society, at work, at school, and in relationships. It is not the most common mental illness, however, it is one of the most chronic and disabling mental illnesses. This mental illness cannot be cured but can be treated with medications and therapy. There are many common misconceptions revolving people with schizophrenia. They are perceived as dangerous and violent, but people with schizophrenia are at greater risk of self-harm and violence to others when the illness is left untreated. This mental illness most commonly presents itself in people between the ages of 16 and 30 after the first episode of psychosis. It is rare in younger children. After the first episode of psychosis, it is essential to start treatment to help combat some of the symptoms.

The symptoms of schizophrenia fall into 3 main categories psychotic, negative, and cognitive. Psychotic is changes in the way a person thinks, acts, and experiences the world around them. They may experience the world in a distorted way. The symptoms associated with this are hallucinations, delusions, thought disorder, and movement disorder. These symptoms can become dormant over time or become stable. Negative is the loss of motivation, loss of interest, or enjoyment in daily activities, withdrawal from social life, difficulty showing emotions, and difficulty functioning normally. These symptoms are often mistaken for depression and other mental illnesses. Cognitive is problems in attention, concentration, and