-Affects about 1% of people
-Onset is usually in late adolescence or early adulthood
-Greek word schizo means “split” or “to cut”
-But it is NOT a split personality
-The split is with reality that shows itself in several ways:
-Disorganized and delusional thinking
-Delusions: false thoughts maintained even though clearly wrong or
demonstrated wrong
-Fragmented thinking
-Jump from one topic to another
-Disturbed perceptions
-Hallucinations often occur
-Hallucinations: sensory experiences without stimulation
-Usually auditory
-May think God is speaking to them
-May think the government is beaming thoughts into their heads
-Sometimes have a running commentary on their lives
-“You’re an idiot to shake his hand.”
-“You don’t need a bath.”
-Inappropriate emotions and actions
-E.g., Person might laugh when told his or her mother died
-Personal hygiene often is not maintained
-Social relations usually suffer greatly
-Work suffers, often loses job
-Symptoms can be classified into positive and negative
-Not positive as good, and negative as bad
-Positive symptoms: an excess or distortion of normal functions
-E.g., delusions, hallucinations, disordered behavior, disorganized speech
-Negative symptoms: a diminution or loss of normal functions
-E.g., absence of emotions; brief, slow replies to questions, don’t initiate goal-
directed behavior
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