Edited by Dr. Sarah Beggiato
Schizophrenia is generally divided into three groups of symptoms, divided into positive, negative and cognitive.
Positive symptoms: are typically represented by psychotic behavior not evident in healthy individuals. Generally, individuals with positive symptoms of schizophrenia lose touch with reality. They are symptoms that come and go and that in some moments manifest themselves more severely than others, depending on whether the individual in which they occur is receiving therapeutic treatment or not.
Among the positive symptoms are hallucinations, in which "voices" are the most common positive symptom. Other positive symptoms are:
- delusions arising from false beliefs. For example, people with schizophrenia may think that people are able to control their thinking and behavior through magnetic waves. Sometimes, schizophrenic individuals think they are someone else, such as an "important historical figure. Other times they are struck by real" persecution delusions ";
- thought disorders: these are unusual ways of thinking. These are characterized by the "inability" of the individual with schizophrenia to organize their thoughts logically and sensibly. Another form of thought disorder is, for example, thought blocking itself, which occurs when, for example, a person suddenly stops speaking in the middle of thinking;
- movement disorders: they can manifest themselves as agitated movements of the body that can repeat many times. In extreme cases, the individual can become catatonic. To date, the catatonic state rarely occurs, especially when treatment is not available.
Negative symptoms are associated with the disturbance of normal emotions and behavior. These symptoms are more difficult to recognize as part of the disease and can be mistaken for depression or other pathological symptoms. Among the negative symptoms are found:
- speak monotonously without moving your face;
- lack of pleasure in everyday life;
- inability to undertake or sustain planned activities;
- speak little and only if forced to interact.
Individuals with negative symptoms need help with daily activities such as personal hygiene.
Finally, the last class of symptoms is represented by cognitive symptoms. They are subtle symptoms, difficult to recognize as typical of schizophrenia, similar to what we have seen for negative symptoms.
Cognitive symptoms include:
- reduced executive functions (ability to understand information and use it to make decisions);
- difficulty paying attention and concentrating;
- problems with working memory (ability to use information immediately after learning it)
Cognitive symptoms often make it difficult to lead a normal life and can cause severe emotional distress.
Although positive symptoms are generally the most obvious clinical feature of schizophrenia, studies currently pay close attention to cognitive symptoms, for several reasons. Among these is the fact that cognitive deficits manifest themselves with a "high presence, are relatively stable over time and are independent of psychotic symptoms. Cognitive symptoms are also very important for research, precisely because their characteristic is to persist In addition, relatives of individuals affected by schizophrenia also show similar, albeit mild, cognitive deficits.
Cognitive symptoms have been shown to be the best indicator of long-term functional outcomes.
so-called multifactorial, where various factors contribute to creating a favorable ground for the development of schizophrenia. Among these factors are found heredity, events that occurred during the period of gestation, environmental stress (for example exposure to toxic agents or pollutants), psychological stress and more. According to some researchers, there is an "alteration of the neurological development processes that are completed during the period of adolescence."
In addition, difficult births have also been observed to increase the risk of developing the disease by two to three times. This is thought to be due to the fact that the brain suffers damage during its development. For example, perinatal hypoxia appears to be an important factor.
Another factor that can increase the risk of developing the disease appears to be infectious agents. If, for example, the flu virus is contracted during the first trimester of gestation, the risk of schizophrenia increases by about seven times. Although studies seem to agree that it may be the antibody response, rather than infection, that is causing the damage to the brain.
The genetic makeup cannot be excluded among the possible causes. Studies have shown that the likelihood of developing the disease is ten times greater among relatives than among the general population. Despite everything, schizophrenia does not follow the classic Mendelian single gene rule. Indeed, it seems that there are multiple genes involved, each of which exerts a small effect that acts together with epigenetic and environmental factors. At least seven seem to be the genes involved in schizophrenia.
Deepening: Genes involved in schizophrenia and anomalies in the central nervous system
CONTINUED: Schizophrenia - Cure and Treatment
