Overview
Schizophrenia is a serious but treatable brain disorder in which a person may hear voices, hold fixed false beliefs, or have disorganised thoughts and withdraw from others. It is a medical condition — not a spiritual attack or moral failure — and early, consistent treatment offers the best chance of a stable, productive life.
Symptoms
- Hearing voices others cannot hear
- Fixed false beliefs, such as being persecuted
- Disorganised or hard-to-follow speech
- Withdrawal from family and friends
- Neglect of personal hygiene
- Loss of motivation and flattened emotions
- Suspiciousness of food, family or neighbours
Causes & risk factors
- Genetic vulnerability and brain-chemistry changes
- Typically emerges in late teens to early thirties
- Heavy cannabis use raising risk in vulnerable people
- Stress and substance use triggering relapse
Treatment & self-care
Antipsychotic medication prescribed by a psychiatrist is the foundation of treatment, with long-acting injections available for those who struggle with daily tablets; psychological and family support reduce relapse. Delays spent seeking only non-medical help allow the illness to entrench — medical care can run alongside a family's faith. With sustained treatment many people work, study and raise families.
See a doctor urgently if
- First episode of hearing voices or fixed unusual beliefs
- Increasing withdrawal and self-neglect in a young person
- Risk of harm to self or others — emergency
- Relapse after stopping medication