Some of the “Other” Common Symptoms in Schizophrenia

Posted on August 11, 2014 by southbaynami

Schizophrenia is most easily recognized by the symptoms that define it, such as visual and auditory hallucinations (e.g., “seeing things” and “hearing voices”) and delusions, including paranoia. But other symptoms are also extremely common.

Apathy, for instance, is often observed. If a person is experiencing auditory or visual delusions and paranoia – “psychosis” – they they are less likely to engage in day to day activities because the voices and suspicions are controlling the majority of their life. A Person living with schizophrenia can still experience depression even when they are not having other symptoms, the person will show signs of apathy, which can be attributed to the depression. Excessive doses of antipsychotics can also sometimes contribute to apathy.

Negative Symptoms Associated with Schizophrenia

Between 40% and 50% of people living with schizophrenia who have been treated and are recovering

will show evidence of negative symptoms. Negative symptoms include:

• Emotional flatness or lack of expressiveness.
• Inability to start and follow through with activities.
• Lack of pleasure or interest in life.

One distinction of some people living with schizophrenia is they do not expect enjoyable activities to give them pleasure, which likely causes them to not engage in pleasure-seeking behaviors.

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The Difference Between Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia

Posted on May 29, 2014 by southbaynami

There are numerous mental illnesses that the medical field recognizes today, ranging from anxiety issues to depression and beyond. Two of the most serious problems are schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. They’re also two of the most confusing issues, largely due to the fact that they share a number of similar symptoms. Because of this, it’s often difficult for even professional psychiatrists to make an accurate diagnosis between the two.

However, there are a few things that can help. First, it’s worth understanding the differences and similarities. For starters, schizophrenia is classified as a psychotic disorder that leads to delusions, hallucinations, and more. Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder, though it may manifest in ways that often seem similar to schizophrenia.

The source of most confusion comes from the overlapping symptoms. For example, things like mania, depression, suicidal thoughts, social issues, and more are all common in both types of mental illness. The biggest difference lies in hallucinations. While those with bipolar disorder can experience hallucinations, they’re far more common among schizophrenics. And even when they do occur in those with a bipolar disorder, the patient will usually be far more alert and expressive when explaining those hallucinations.

Many who begin to experience mental illness likely won’t even realize that they are suffering from the symptoms of one of these diseases – at the very least, they won’t be able to identify the specific issue they’re dealing with. Today, most psychiatrists will rely on counseling and on scans of brain activity in order to understand the exact problem. Since schizophrenic patients will show a loss of gray matter in their brain and those with bipolar disorder won’t show that loss, this is the primary method of distinguishing between the two when no other methods are working.

No matter the problem, there are solutions. Modern medicine has led to numerous treatments that can help patients overcome bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. But the first step is simply figuring out which of the two one is suffering from. To find out more, contact us today.