Clinical features

The principal clinical signs of schizophrenia may include delusions, hallucinations, a loosening or incoherence of a person’s thought processes and train of associations, deficiencies in feeling appropriate or normal emotions, and a withdrawal from reality. A delusion is a false or irrational belief that is firmly held despite obvious or objective evidence to the contrary. The delusions of individuals with schizophrenia may be persecutory, grandiose, religious, sexual, or hypochondriacal in nature, or they may be concerned with other topics. Delusions of reference, in which the person attributes a special, irrational, and usually negative significance to other people, objects, or events, are common in the disease. Especially characteristic of schizophrenia are delusions in which the individual believes his thinking processes, body parts, or actions or impulses are controlled or dictated by some external force.

Hallucinations are false sensory perceptions that are experienced without an external stimulus but that nevertheless seem real to the person who is experiencing them. Auditory hallucinations, experienced as “voices” and characteristically heard commenting negatively about the affected individual in the third person, are prominent in schizophrenia. Hallucinations of touch, taste, smell, and bodily sensation may also occur. Disorders of thinking vary in nature but are quite common in schizophrenia. Thought disorders may consist of a loosening of associations, so that the speaker jumps from one idea or topic to another, unrelated one in an illogical, inappropriate, or disorganized way. At its most serious, this incoherence of thought extends into pronunciation itself, and the speaker’s words become garbled or unrecognizable. Speech may also be overly concrete and inexpressive; it may be repetitive, or, though voluble, it may convey little or no real information. Usually individuals with schizophrenia have little or no insight into their own condition and realize neither that they are suffering from a mental illness nor that their thinking is disordered.

Among the so-called negative symptoms of schizophrenia are a blunting or flattening of the person’s ability to experience (or at least to express) emotion, indicated by speaking in a monotone and by a peculiar lack of facial expressions. The person’s sense of self (i.e., of who he or she is) may be disturbed. A person with schizophrenia may be apathetic and may lack the drive and ability to pursue a course of action to its logical conclusion, may withdraw from society, become detached from others, or become preoccupied with bizarre or nonsensical fantasies. Such symptoms are more typical of chronic rather than of acute schizophrenia.

Prior to DSM-5, different types of schizophrenia were recognized as well as intermediate stages between the disease and other conditions. The five major types of schizophrenia recognized by DSM-IV included the disorganized type, the catatonic type, the paranoid type, the undifferentiated type, and the residual type. Disorganized schizophrenia was characterized by inappropriate emotional responses, delusions or hallucinations, uncontrolled or inappropriate laughter, and incoherent thought and speech. Catatonic schizophrenia was marked by striking motor behavior, such as remaining motionless in a rigid posture for hours or even days, and by stupor, mutism, or agitation. Paranoid schizophrenia was characterized by the presence of prominent delusions of a persecutory or grandiose nature; some patients were argumentative or violent. The undifferentiated type combined symptoms from the above three categories, and the residual type was marked by the absence of these distinct features. Moreover, the residual type, in which the major symptoms had abated, was a less severe diagnosis. Distinguishing between the different types clinically, however, was limited by poor validity and low reliability of existing diagnostic criteria. DSM-5 encouraged clinicians to assess patients based on symptom severity.

Course and prognosis

The course of schizophrenia is variable. Some individuals with schizophrenia continue to function fairly well and are able to live independently, some have recurrent episodes of the illness with some negative effect on their overall level of function, and some deteriorate into chronic schizophrenia with severe disability. The prognosis for individuals with schizophrenia has improved owing to the development of antipsychotic drugs and the expansion of community supportive measures.

About 5 to 10 percent of individuals with schizophrenia die by suicide. The prognosis for those with schizophrenia is poorer when the onset of the disease is gradual rather than sudden, when the affected individual is quite young at the onset, when the individual has suffered from the disease for a long time, when the individual exhibits blunted feelings or has displayed an abnormal personality previous to the onset of the disease, and when such social factors as never having been married, poor sexual adjustment, a poor employment record, or social isolation exist in the individual’s history.

Etiology

An enormous amount of research has been performed to try to determine the causes of schizophrenia. Family, twin, and adoption studies provide strong evidence to support an important genetic contribution. Several studies in the early 21st century have found that children born to men older than age 50 are nearly three times more likely to have schizophrenia than those born to younger men. Stressful life events are known to trigger or quicken the onset of schizophrenia or to cause relapse. Some abnormal neurological signs have been found in individuals with schizophrenia, and it is possible that brain damage, perhaps occurring at birth, may be a cause in some cases. Other studies suggest that schizophrenia is caused by a virus or by abnormal activity of genes that govern the formation of nerve fibers in the brain. Various biochemical abnormalities also have been reported in persons with schizophrenia. There is evidence, for example, that the abnormal coordination of neurotransmitters such as dopamine, glutamate, and serotonin may be involved in the development of the disease.

Research also has been performed to determine whether the parental care used in the families of individuals with schizophrenia contributes to the development of the disease. There has also been extensive interest in such factors as social class, place of residence, migration, and social isolation. Neither family dynamics nor social disadvantage have been proved to be causative agents.

Treatment

The most-successful treatment approaches combine the use of medications with supportive therapy. New “atypical” antipsychotic medications such as clozapine, risperidone, and olanzapine have proved effective in relieving or eliminating such symptoms as delusions, hallucinations, thought disorders, agitation, and violent behavior. These medications also have fewer side effects than the more-traditional antipsychotic medications. Long-term maintenance on such medications also reduces the rate of relapse. Psychotherapy, meanwhile, may help the affected individual to relieve feelings of helplessness and isolation, reinforce healthy or positive tendencies, distinguish psychotic perceptions from reality, and explore any underlying emotional conflicts that might be exacerbating the condition. Occupational therapy and regular visits from a social worker or psychiatric nurse may be beneficial. In addition, it is sometimes useful to counsel the live-in relatives of individuals with schizophrenia. Support groups for persons with schizophrenia and their families have become extremely important resources for dealing with the disorder.