Symptoms tend to start between the late teens and mid-30s. It can happen in children, but it is rare. They may be noticed by the person who has problems or those close to them. They often vague but can follow a pattern. The phases are:
There may be no symptoms at this stage. In those that have them, there may be:
Symptoms build slowly and worsen over time. They are different for each person. People may have symptoms from one or all of the next phases:
These are psychotic symptoms. People in this phase lose touch with reality. They may have:
Negative symptoms are what is lost in normal emotion or behavior. They may have:
These change how the brain works. People may not be able to:
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Schizophrenia. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at:http://www.dynamed.com/topics/dmp~AN~T115234/Schizophrenia. Updated November 29, 2018. Accessed August 15, 2019.
Schizophrenia. Mental Health America website. Available at: http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/conditions/schizophrenia. Accessed August 15, 2019.
Schizophrenia. National Institute of Mental Health website. Available at: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/schizophrenia/index.shtml. Updated February 2016. Accessed August 15, 2019.
Last reviewed December 2018 by EBSCO Medical Review Board Adrian Preda, MD