Hearing voices in your head is not that unusual—many people hear voices and think nothing of it. But if the voices inside your head are disturbing, or they are telling you to do things that go against what you believe in, you may be suffering from a form of schizophrenia referred to as paranoid schizophrenia. [...] Read more »

What is paranoid schizophrenia? Paranoid schizophrenia is a sub-type of schizophrenia, a serious mental health disorder affecting around 0.5% of the global population. The DSM-IV contains five sub-types of schizophrenia and paranoid is one of them. Ask any person on the street: what is paranoid schizophrenia and they will probably conjure up an image of [...] Read more »

The symptoms of schizophrenia can either come on very slowly (insidious onset), which or more common, or very rapidly whereby patients experience a full-blown acute episode with very few early warning signs. Early schizophrenia symptoms are referred to as “prodomal” and can be present for many years prior to the onset of the illness, but [...] Read more »

A paranoid schizophrenic suffers from delusions and hallucinations and if he or she is left untreated, the illness can cause significant social problems whereby the patient becomes a risk to themselves and others. The symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia normally begin in early adulthood and are often accompanied by related conditions such as depression and anxiety [...] Read more »

The symptoms of schizophrenia are often described as positive and negative. Positive symptoms of the illness are those most of us are familiar with: hallucinations, delusional and paranoid behaviour, and confused thoughts. But although the positive symptoms of schizophrenia are very serious, the schizophrenia negative symptoms can be just as debilitating and they often go [...] Read more »

Without effective treatment, schizophrenia is a crippling mental illness and many of those affected find their life severely derailed as a result of the life-changing symptoms. Consequently, due to the nature of the disorder and the fact that it typically strikes young adults who are unlikely to have reached the pinnacle of their career, there [...] Read more »

In order for a person to be diagnosed with schizophrenia, certain diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia must be met. In the United States, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) is used by mental health professionals to help decide whether a person is suffering from schizophrenia; in Europe, the ICD-10 criteria are used. [...] Read more »

Is there a cure for schizophrenia? Friends and relatives of schizophrenia patients often ask this question – although symptoms of the illness can be controlled with various medications, in many cases, patients stop taking the medications at various intervals and relapses are common. What is schizophrenia? Schizophrenia is a serious mental health condition characterised by [...] Read more »

Psychologists are not 100% certain what causes schizophrenia, but most believe that there are a number of different factors that contribute towards what is a complex and serious mental health disorder. Some risk factors you can do nothing about, but others, for example stress, you can avoid if you believe you might be at risk [...] Read more »

Schizophrenia is most common in young adults, but it can also affect children. Childhood schizophrenia occurs in around 1 in 40,000 children, but irrespective of what age it occurs, the illness is chronic and causes immense problems for children with schizophrenia and their families. Children with schizophrenia—at what age is the illness normally diagnosed? It [...] Read more »