Schizophrenia: Understanding a Misunderstood Mental Illness

When people hear the word schizophrenia , they often imagine split personalities or unpredictable behavior. But in reality, schizophrenia is not about having multiple personalities — it’s a complex mental health disorder that affects how a person thinks, feels, and perceives reality. Schizophrenia can make it difficult to distinguish between what’s real and what’s not. It can disrupt daily life, relationships, and a person’s ability to function — but with the right treatment, recovery and stability are absolutely possible. What Are the Symptoms? Symptoms of schizophrenia usually fall into three categories: positive, negative, and cognitive. · Positive symptoms include hallucinations (like hearing voices), delusions (strongly held false beliefs), and disorganized speech or behavior. · Negative symptoms involve a lack of emotion, reduced motivation, social withdrawal, and difficulty carr...