Let's start with the main thing: schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder that requires special analysis before confirming or, conversely, refuting it. Therefore, the list below should by no means be taken as the ultimate truth, but only as a way to see the changes taking place with you or with someone close to you in order to ask for help in time.
Excluding age, schizophrenia affects all population groups, regardless of gender, race, or social status. A mental disorder characterized by distorted thinking and perception usually begins between the ages of 16 and 30. According to the National Medical Research Center of Psychiatry and Narcology named after V. P. Serbian for 2017, in the Central Federal District alone, there were 370.9 cases of schizophrenia for every 100 thousand population.
Although the exact cause of the disorder is not known, it is generally accepted that genetic and environmental factors are the most common catalysts. Unfortunately, there is no way to prevent schizophrenia, but earlier treatment, psychiatrists agree, will have a positive effect on the patient's condition, both in the short and long term. Medical Daily has covered five early signs of schizophrenia that are important to keep in mind - and here's a summary of the most important information for you.
Social isolation
The person at risk may begin to avoid social interaction with family and friends, spending most of their time in isolation. Gradually, this affects a person's schedule, so that he may also begin to skip school, work or other social events, even if nothing like this was noticed before. This also includes a loss of interest in things that previously did not leave a person indifferent - hobbies, favorite TV shows and delicious food.
Hygiene problems
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Personal hygiene problems are considered one of the earliest signs of depression and schizophrenia. This is because with this kind of mental disorders, even primitive and very easy actions from the point of view of a healthy person are extremely difficult. Doctors say that usually everything starts with the fact that the patient begins to take a bath very slowly, brush his teeth or wash his face, gradually increasing the intervals between these actions. This behavior is usually associated with intrinsic factors such as apathy, burnout and self-forgetfulness, but it can also depend on the degree of social isolation.
Obsession with religion
Or - another option - mysticism, esotericism, supernatural. The medical literature has found significant links between religion and various aspects of schizophrenia. “Patients with schizophrenia are prone to religious extremes and hallucinations. In addition, there is some evidence that religion has a relationship with levels of psychopathology,”write the authors of a 2014 review published in the Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine.
This connection, experts believe, is due to paranoia and an ever-increasing detachment from reality. And while at the first stage a person can be only slightly removed from real life, over time he is able to completely immerse himself in thoughts of evil spirits, magical forces and mystical creatures.
Sharp movements
Certain movements or expressions, usually involuntary, were observed in the early stages of almost all patients with schizophrenia. Among them: too active facial expressions, twitching of the corners of the mouth, slow blinking. It is important to understand here that if active facial expressions have always been characteristic of a person, then this is not a problem. Only those cases are significant when this facial expression suddenly became active as never before. Other physical manifestations that experts advise to pay attention to are a decrease in motor skills, the need for constant external stimulation and twitching of the limbs, reminiscent of tremors.
Auditory hallucinations
Hallucinations in schizophrenics can affect any of the five senses, but auditory hallucinations are the most common. In particular, more than 70% of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia reported hearing voices. These kinds of disturbances, doctors add, can lead to confused thoughts, loss of concentration and memory problems. Another symptom associated with hallucinations is disruption of thinking, when it seems to a person that not all the thoughts present in his head belong to him.