News and Article
Getting to Know Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a severe mental health condition that affects how someone thinks, feels, and behaves. People with schizophrenia might sometimes seem disconnected from reality, which can be confusing or upsetting for them and those around them (their family and friends)1. It can lead to episodes of psychosis and make everyday life more difficult, affecting things like personal, family, social, educational, and occupational functioning2.

Schizophrenia affects approximately 24 million people or 1 in 300 people (0.32%) worldwide. This rate is 1 in 222 people (0.45%) among adults2. People are usually first diagnosed with schizophrenia between the ages of 16 and 30, after the first episode of psychosis1.

Signs and symptoms of schizophrenia

It’s important to recognize the symptoms of schizophrenia and seek help as early as possible. While symptom presentation can vary across individuals, the clinical features of schizophrenia are typically classified into three primary domains: psychotic symptoms or positive symptoms (e.g., hallucinations, delusions), negative symptoms (e.g., diminished emotional expression, social withdrawal), and cognitive impairments (e.g., deficits in attention, memory, and executive functioning)3.

  • Psychotic symptoms or positive symptoms
    A person experiencing psychotic symptoms often has disrupted thoughts and perceptions, and they may have difficulty recognizing what is real and what is not.
    • Hallucinations are when a person sees, hears, smells, tastes, or feels things that are not there. Hearing voices is common among people with schizophrenia3.
    • Delusions are when a person has strong beliefs that are not objectively true and may seem irrational to others. For example, individuals experiencing delusions may believe that they may believe that they are in danger or that others are trying to hurt them3.
    • Thought Disorder is when a person has ways of thinking that are unusual or illogical. People with thought disorder may have trouble organizing their thoughts and speech. They may stop talking in the middle of a thought, jump from topic to topic, or make up words that have no meaning3.
  • Negative Symptoms include loss of motivation, loss of interest or enjoyment in daily activities, withdrawal from social life, difficulty showing emotions, and difficulty functioning normally. These negative symptoms are sometimes mistaken for symptoms of depression or other mental illnesses3.
  • Cognitive Impairment include problems with attention, concentration, and memory. These symptoms can make it hard to follow a conversation, learn new things, or remember appointments3.

Causes of Schizophrenia

The cause of schizophrenia is multifactorial and remains incompletely understood. Current evidence suggests that an interaction between genes and a range of environmental factors may cause schizophrenia. Psychosocial factors may also affect the onset and course of schizophrenia. Heavy use of cannabis is associated with an elevated risk of the disorder2.

Schizophrenia Treatment

Treatments for schizophrenia aim to help people cope with their symptoms, get back to everyday routines, and work toward personal goals such as completing education, building a career, and fulfilling meaningful relationships. A range of effective care options for people with schizophrenia exist, and these include2:

  • Medication
  • Psychoeducation
  • Family Interventions
  • Cognitive-behavioral Therapy
  • Psychosocial rehabilitation (e.g., life skills training).

This paper cannot replace the role or advice of health workers. All the decisions you make must be discussed with your healthcare provider, regarding your specific medical needs.

Writer: Wahyu Dirgantarah
Source:

  1. National Institute of Mental Health. (2024). Schizophrenia. www.nimh.nih.gov. Accessed on 01 Aug 2025 from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/schizophrenia
  2. World Health Organization. (2022). Schizophrenia. www.who.int. Accessed on 07 Aug 2025 from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/schizophrenia
  3. National Institute of Mental Health. (2024). Schizophrenia. www.nimh.nih.gov. Accessed on 07 Aug 2025 from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/schizophrenia