Hallucinations can be caused by several factors such as drugs and underlying health complications. If you experience sensations that appear to be real but are only created in your mind and you have not used drugs, you might have an underlying condition as the cause. Schizophrenia is one of the conditions that cause several mental symptoms, including hallucinations which reduce your function. Fortunately, expertise such as Satyen Madkaiker, MD, FAPA, who has managed schizophrenia in Jacksonville, can help you diagnose this condition and manage it. The information provided herein is vital in helping you understand the disease.
Understanding Schizophrenia
This is a common yet severe mental condition where you can interpret reality abnormally. This affects the way you think, behave, manage emotions, and relate to others. It can simply be said that once you have schizophrenia, you have lost touch with reality. Although anyone can develop this condition, it is mainly experienced by those in early adulthood.
Top Causes of Schizophrenia
Several factors can contribute to schizophrenia, including:
- Brain structure or chemistry issues.
- Family history of the disease
- Exposure to viruses or malnutrition before birth
- Substance abuse, mainly when done at an early age
- Complications during the birth process.
Symptoms Related to Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a condition associated with a range of complications related to your emotions, thinking, and behavior. Although symptoms may vary from one person to another, the following are more common.
Hallucinations
This is where you can experience or hear things that are not there. Although the hallucinations can affect any of your senses, hearing is more common to people with schizophrenia.
Delusions
This is another common symptom you can experience if you have schizophrenia. It involves having false beliefs that are not based on reality. For instance, you can often think that you are being hurt even by simple things. You can also have unrealistic feelings about someone falling in love with you or thinking that a particular catastrophe is about to occur.
Disorganized Thinking
This is inferred as disorganized thinking, where your effective communication becomes impaired. You may find yourself answering questions out of context or putting together meaningless words that other people cannot understand.
Negative Symptoms
This means that you can experience the inability to function normally, which affects your life quality. This is where you find yourself losing interest in your favorite activities, appear to lack emotions, neglect your hygiene, or withdraw socially.
Extremely Disorganized
This is where you can become highly abnormal with your behaviors not focused on any goal. You may show unpredictable agitation or childlike silliness where you can become resistant to instructions, posing bizarre positions, and engaging in excessive or useless movements.
When to Seek Medical Assistance
It is good to note that you may lack awareness that you are mentally ill, and only your friends or family can tell and take the responsibility of seeking help for you. Similarly, you can also notice it in someone close to you and take a step towards helping them. Treatment options are available depending on the cause and the symptoms one possesses.
If you know someone or feel like you are experiencing symptoms related to schizophrenia, as mentioned earlier, please don’t hesitate to seek help as early as possible. You can learn more about schizophrenia by contacting Satyen Madkaiker, MD, FAPA.
