10 signs of schizophrenia in teens

Parents only want the best for their child and to do that, they only see the best in them and ignore the things they feel are caused by puberty but are actually due to something else. By doing this, they might end up ignoring something that would shape their life. Schizophrenia is a mental illness that is very difficult to diagnose and yet it is quite common in today’s world. It is a disorder where the individual cannot distinguish between reality and imagination. They enter a world of psychosis and they do not know how to come back to the real world. Schizophrenic patients are often violent but this is because they are extremely paranoid and only try to defend themselves. That being said, schizophrenic usually go through a lot of trauma or are a victim of violence themselves. They usually are diagnosed in their adolescent years or early 20s. Every schizophrenic works in a different manner. Some are shy and timid while others are angry and violent. But this, of course, is not their fault, they do not know what is real and what is unreal.

Schizophrenia is usually genetic. A person with a schizophrenic identical twin is the most at risk for schizophrenia. Another cause for schizophrenia as observed by doctors is that they have a cluster of cells which are located at a different location in their brain. This doesn’t show up until puberty as the brain goes through a lot of changes then which triggers it. Just the genes aren’t enough to make someone schizophrenic, the environment needs to be factored in too. Let’s see a few symptoms of schizophrenia.

  1. Hallucinations- Visual, sensory, auditory. They might sense and see things that do not exist and this unsettles them and keeps them on edge. Their state of psychosis makes this worse. Hearing voices is a very common sign in schizophrenic patients.
  2. Paranoia- The feeling that someone is out to get them exists in them. They are convinced of things like alien abductions, government conspiracy, being spied upon.
  3. Anger and irritability- They get angered very easily and they cannot control it. The outbursts are not normal and might end up in shaking too.
  4. OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)- They like things a certain way and are picky about it no matter how bizarre it may be and any deviation from that, upsets them immensely.
  5. Poor hygiene- They are not bothered with daily chores and rituals that connect us to reality.
  6. Forgetfulness- They cannot remember the tasks they have done or what they need to do as they psychologically slip in and out of the real realm.
  7. Delusions- The feeling and belief in something to be true though it isn’t. They might be convinced that someone dislikes them or is jealous of them and this will make them act out around such people. They might be convinced that someone is stealing from them when in fact they just misplace a few things and forget about it.
  8. Trust issues- They display extreme paranoia to the extent that even a doctor’s visit is difficult as they only trust 1-2 people like maybe their mother or their friend. The rest of the world scares them and they cannot trust anyone.
  9. Speech difficulty- They talk slowly and what they say doesn’t make much sense either. Changing topics too quickly, not able to keep up with a conversation.
  10. Behavioral changes- Laughing at inappropriate times, obsession with something dark or unnatural, substance abuse, becoming socially awkward and isolated, talking to themselves, muttering and mumbling.

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Schizophrenia should not be feared as it can be controlled. See the changes, help someone out who can’t help themselves as the effect of the treatment is immediate. Help the ones in need instead of shunning them.
 
Image Courtesy: schizophrenia1.yolasite.com, Caregivers AllianceDaily Star