Schizophrenia is a condition that affects the brain. It leads to a distortion of the way that individuals think, act and express themselves and the way that they perceive others and the world around them. It is a condition that it is important for employers to be aware of, and Mental Health Training Courses like the ones from www.tidaltraining.co.uk/mental-health-courses are a great place to start.
There are thought to be around five different subtypes of schizophrenia, and the symptoms that the individual experiences will depend very much on the type of the condition that they have. The five types are:
- paranoid schizophrenia
- disorganised schizophrenia
- catatonic schizophrenia
- undifferentiated schizophrenia
- residual schizophrenia
The main symptoms that are associated with schizophrenia are hallucinations, delusions and catatonia. Catatonia is where the individual stays in a single position for a long period of time without any movement at all. Symptoms that affect cognition can include forgetfulness, problems focusing and paying attention and also reduced speech and energy and a lack of motivation.
The cause of the condition is still unknown, but it is thought that a number of factors such as genetics, environment, abnormalities in the brain and brain chemistry could be some of the causes. The symptoms tend to appear in later teenage years or in the person’s early twenties. A number of different medications can help to relieve some of the symptoms.