What Is Paranoid Schizophrenia?

By becky

Article Sources

Article Sources

• 1. Goldberg, J. (2018, December 20). Schizophrenia symptoms. WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/schizophrenia/schizophrenia-symptoms#1
• 2. Kiefer, D. (2018, August 5). Complementary and alternative treatments for schizophrenia. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/schizophrenia/alternative-treatments#vitamins

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Schizophrenia is a large umbrella of a diagnosis that encompasses symptoms of delusions, paranoia, hallucinations, and at times catatonia. For most patients with paranoid schizophrenia, a combination of therapy and psychiatric care can help ease their everyday symptoms.

If you have only seen media depictions of patients with schizophrenia, it may surprise you to know that many of these individuals can live relatively normal lives despite their symptoms. Others might stay in the hospital briefly to get their symptoms under control, and the most severe cases may be permanently hospitalized in a secure treatment facility.

1. What Is Schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is a psychiatric disorder that causes “positive” symptoms, meaning that abnormal behavior is added to your normal behavior. These can include delusions, hallucinations, odd phrasing and ways of speaking, or unusual movements of your body.¹Goldberg, J. (2018, December 20). Schizophrenia symptoms. WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/schizophrenia/schizophrenia-symptoms#1

“Negative” symptoms exist as a part of many patients’ schizophrenia, too. You can think of these symptoms as behaviors that are removed from normal behavior. These can include lack of pleasure, flattened mood, not talking very much, and struggling to move normally or complete regular tasks.