Early Signs of Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a complex mental health problem affecting 1 in every 100 people of this world. According to recently obtained statistics, USA currently has almost 2.7 million residents suffering from schizophrenia. In men, the signs of this condition generally appear first during their late adolescence; but women start experiencing the initial signs of schizophrenia when they are in their twenties or early thirties. Below we have discussed about the most common early signs of schizophrenia.

Social behavior:
Often schizophrenia patients tend to withdraw themselves from normal social circumstances. There are instances when the patient has stopped taking part in all forms of extracurricular activities, started to create problems at work or in the school or began to act indifferently to issues of serious importance. Some schizophrenia patients prefer spending time alone; they might love to go for long walks or stay confined in their own room all the time. Trouble in making friends can be another early sign of schizophrenia.

Emotional signs:
An individual experiencing the early schizophrenia signs might develop a condition called ‘flat effect’. It is a condition, in which the affected person loses the ability of experiencing happiness and joy; medically the condition is termed as anhedonia. People with anhedonia often become anxious, tense, fearful and moody. Their thoughts might get disorganized and scattered. Such patients have a tendency of shifting from one subject to another while having discussions; this happens due to their inability of concentrating.

Personality changes:
When a person is first experiencing the signs of schizophrenia, he or she is likely to experience certain personality changes. For instance, they might start behaving irrationally, get obsessed with different religious activities and continue to speak illogically. There are also instances, when a person with schizophrenia has suddenly dressed himself up in eccentric attires. These people often have extremely poor personal hygiene; for instance they don’t change clothes or comb their hair for days. Some schizophrenia patients might develop a sense of being important. They might start speaking in a childlike, nonsensical or stilted manner or laugh inappropriately. Schizophrenia patient might start sleeping for abnormally long hours or may suffer from sleep deprivation.