Know The Signs And Symptoms Of Paranoid Type Schizophrenia
Paranoid type schizophrenia is one of five different types of schizophrenia, which is a chronic mental illness marked by detachment from reality. What makes paranoid schizophrenia different than other types is the overwhelming paranoia that people are plotting, lurking, spying and out to sabotage them. Usually, these schizophrenics are better able to communicate, memorize and express emotion than other types of schizophrenics, but they are still incapacitated by their irrational fears, delusions and suspicions.
Living with paranoid schizophrenia is terrifying. The person experiences voices giving a ongoing summary of their life. “Be careful — he’s watching you from over there, in the shrubbery,” claims one voice. “Your teacher is hatching a plot to murder you, so you need to kill first,” another voice claims. “They’re watching you through the TV screens… break them,” one more commands. Paranoid schizophrenia is characterized by positive conditions such as aural hallucinations and delusions, more so than the negative symptoms of speech disturbances, flattened emotions and bad power of recall.
To diagnose someone with paranoid-type schizophrenia, a mental health professional will inquire about symptoms and family history. He or she will look for delusions, hallucinatory voices and paranoia as the defining aspects, with not as much weight on flattened emotions, memory problems, poor decision making skills and speech problems. Physicians will try to differentiate these thought problems from medication-induced psychosis and epilepsy. Generally, it takes one to six months to officially complete a diagnosis. On occasion, patients experience acute psychotic attacks and enter into periods of remission.
Paranoid type schizophrenia has a number of related terms that can better help people understand this mental illness. A “schizoid” is a personality disorder characterized by a lack of interest in social relationships, which makes a person come off as cold and aloof. One step further, a “schizotypal” individual suffers extreme discomfort with close relationships and acts very eccentrically. Almost all types of schizophrenia symptoms display these mental health symptoms. Depression, suicidal tendencies and explosive rage often surface during an acute psychotic attack, which may then be followed by several months of remission.
If left untreated, paranoid type schizophrenia can result in a number of devastating effects. An astonishing 90% of individuals who are afflicted with paranoid schizophrenia smoke, drink to excess or abuse drugs. Four out of ten people with schizophrenia attempt suicide and 10-15% of all schizophrenics succeed in ending their own lives. Those who do not commit suicide struggle with depression, poverty, homelessness, incarceration, family conflicts and the inability to work or attend school. With antipsychotic medications, a schizophrenic can lead a relatively normal life, although there are serious health risks associated with these drugs that include heart problems, lung disease and cancer.
Even with ongoing schizophrenia research, there is still no cure for schizophrenia, but there are ways to cope with the illness. Drugs prescribed by a psychiatrist are the number one method of treatment but it does not work alone. Drugs along with regular therapy are often the recommended course. Click here to learn more about schizophrenia disorder.
