Schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder in which people interpret reality abnormally. Schizophrenia may result in some combination of hallucinations, delusions, and extremely disordered thinking and behavior that impairs daily functioning, and can be disabling.

Signs and Symptoms

• a lack of interest in things
• feeling disconnected from your feelings
• difficulty concentrating
• wanting to avoid people
• hallucinations, such as hearing voices or seeing things others don’t
• delusions (which could include paranoid delusions) – strong beliefs that others don’t share
• disorganized thinking and speech
• not wanting to look after yourself

Misconceptions

Many people have heard of schizophrenia, but this doesn’t mean that they understand the diagnosis. You might find that some people have negative ideas about schizophrenia or have misconceptions about you.

A diagnosis of schizophrenia does not mean someone has a ‘split personality’, but many people wrongly think this. Some people think hearing voices means someone is dangerous, when voices are actually more likely to suggest that you harm yourself than someone else. It’s also important to remember that people have a choice in whether they do what the voices say.

Treatment

• A CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) practitioner helps a client to challenge unhelpful thoughts and behaviors by thinking and talking about them.
• Doctors usually prescribe antipsychotic medication (also known as neuroleptic drugs or major tranquillizers) to help with schizophrenia.
• Family intervention is a type of talking treatment for relatives or careers of people who are diagnosed with schizophrenia. It can help relatives or careers work out how best to support you and find ways of coping and solving problems together. 
• Arts therapies use creative arts – music, painting, dance, voice or drama – to help you express yourself in a therapeutic environment with a trained therapist.