What Causes Schizophrenia?

The first signs of schizophrenia often appear as confusing, or even

shocking, changes in behavior. Coping with the symptoms of schizophrenia

can be especially difficult for family members who remember how involved

or vivacious a person was before they became ill. The sudden onset of

severe psychotic symptoms is referred to as an "acute" phase of

schizophrenia. "Psychosis," a common condition in schizophrenia, is a

state of mental impairment marked by hallucinations, which are

disturbances of sensory perception, and/or delusions, which are false

yet strongly held personal beliefs that result from an inability to

separate real from unreal experiences. Less obvious symptoms, such as

social isolation or withdrawal, or unusual speech, thinking, or behavior,

may precede, be seen along with, or follow the psychotic symptoms.

Some people have only one such psychotic episode; others have many

episodes during a lifetime, but lead relatively normal lives during

the interim periods. However, the individual with "chronic" schizophrenia,

or a continuous or recurring pattern of illness, often does not fully

recover normal functioning and typically requires long-term treatment,

generally including medication, to control the symptoms.

Normal Versus Abnormal

At times, normal individuals may feel, think, or act in ways that

resemble schizophrenia. Normal people may sometimes be unable to

"think straight." They may become extremely anxious, for example, when

speaking in front of groups and may feel confused, be unable to pull their

thoughts together, and forget what they had intended to say. This is not

schizophrenia. At the same time, people with schizophrenia do not

always act abnormally. Indeed, some people with the illness can appear

completely normal and be perfectly responsible, even while they experience

hallucinations or delusions. An individual's behavior may change

over time, becoming bizarre if medication is stopped and returning closer

to normal when receiving appropriate treatment.