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Overview

• Schizophrenia is a mental illness that affects the way you think, feel and behave. It affects about 1 in every 100 people.
• Schizophrenia may develop during early adulthood. There are different types of schizophrenia.
• You may experience ‘positive’ and ‘negative’ symptoms of schizophrenia.
• Positive symptoms are when you experience things in addition to reality. For example, you might see or hear or believe things that others don’t.
• Negative symptoms are when you lose the ability to do something, or it is affected. For example, losing motivation to do things or becoming withdrawn. They often last longer than positive symptoms.
• Professionals aren’t sure of what causes schizophrenia. There are many different causes. The main factors that can contribute towards the development of schizophrenia are believed to be genetics and the environment.
• There are different types of treatment available for schizophrenia, such as medication and psychological treatments.

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About

What is schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness which affects the way you think, feel and behave. The symptoms may affect how you cope with day to day life.

You could be diagnosed with schizophrenia if you experience some of the following symptoms:

• Hallucinations
• Delusions
• Disorganised thinking
• Lack of motivation
• Slow movement
• Change in sleep patterns
• Poor grooming or hygiene
• Changes in body language and emotions
• Loss interest in social activities

Everyone’s experience of schizophrenia is different. Not everyone with schizophrenia will experience all these symptoms.

According to the Royal College of Psychiatrists, schizophrenia affects around 1 in 100 people. For some people, schizophrenia can develop during young adulthood and develop slowly.

The early stage of the illness is called ‘the prodromal phase’. During this phase your sleep, emotions, motivation, communication and ability to think clearly may change.

We have created a video called ‘what is schizophrenia?’ You can watch this video by clicking on the following link:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1s4YCloCbo

What is psychosis, and how is it related to schizophrenia?
Psychosis is a medical term. If you live with psychosis, you will process the world around you differently to other people. This can include how you experience, believe or view things.

Experiencing psychosis is usually part of schizophrenia. People who live with other mental health conditions can experience psychosis too.