You are not alone

• 1–2 people in every 100 experience schizophrenia during their lifetime, and many
  more experience other types of psychosis.
• Schizophrenia and other related conditions are associated with a chemical imbalance
  in the brain. This imbalance can affect your thoughts, feelings and actions, and some
  symptoms can make it difficult to continue with everyday activities.
• People with schizophrenia experience different symptoms – some experience only one
  psychotic episode while others experience a continuous or recurring pattern of illness.

In either case, symptoms can sometimes be worrying and scary for both the person
with the illness and their family and friends. Treatment aims to control these symptoms,
prevent them from returning and help you on the road to recovery.

What are the symptoms of schizophrenia?

Positive symptoms

These symptoms may be more noticeable to other people. They can affect
your judgement and reduce your ability to think clearly. These include:

• delusions (things you believe are real or true that most other people do not)
• hallucinations (things you hear and see that other people do not)
• paranoia (suspiciousness or unrealistic fears)
• impulsiveness

Negative symptoms

These symptoms may not be as noticeable to other people but can be
very disruptive to you. These include:

• a lack of emotion
• feelings that are inappropriate for the situation (like laughing in a sad movie)
• feeling disconnected from friends, family or yourself
• difficulty communicating or speaking with others
• lack of energy or desire to do even basic daily tasks

Other symptoms

These may overlap with positive and negative symptoms. These include:

• cognitive symptoms (impaired memory, problem-solving skills, concentration
  or language processing skills and disorganised thinking or actions)
• affective symptoms (depressed mood and/or persistent anxiety)
• agitation
• sleep problems

Read more about Schizophrenia History and Symptoms.