What is schizophrenia?
Recognising the signs and symptoms of schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a long-term mental health condition that affects how someone’s brain distinguishes the difference between thoughts, ideas and reality.
Many thoughts, perceptions and beliefs can seem very real or frightening to someone with a schizophrenia diagnosis. These symptoms of the condition can markedly affect how someone reacts or behaves in response. But they do not cause people diagnosed with the disorder to be violent or have a ‘split personality.’
Medical words that begin with ‘psych’ come from the ancient Greek word for mind, or life-force. ‘Osis’ simply means a disorder or illness. There are other mental health disorders that also have psychotic symptoms in common with schizophrenia.