Two people with schizophrenia can have very different experiences. One may mainly struggle with voices and suspicious beliefs; another may have greater difficulty with motivation, attention or organising daily life. Symptoms also vary within the…Continue Reading
Psychosis refers to a state in which perceptions or beliefs become substantially disconnected from shared reality. Common features include hallucinations, delusions and markedly disorganised thinking. A person might hear a voice without an external speaker…Continue Reading
Perception is the process of interpreting sensory information into meaningful experiences. During psychosis, a person may hear, see or feel something without a corresponding external stimulus. These experiences are called hallucinations. Perceptual changes can also…Continue Reading
Beliefs help people interpret events and decide how to respond. During psychosis, an interpretation may become fixed and resistant to evidence that would usually encourage reconsideration. A person may believe they are being monitored, have…Continue Reading
Psychosis can accompany several different conditions. Schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder are important examples, but psychotic symptoms may also occur during mania or severe depression. Substances such as stimulants and high-THC cannabis can contribute, while prescribed…Continue Reading
A psychotic episode may develop over hours, days or longer, and its duration depends partly on the cause. Some episodes resolve relatively quickly, while others persist or recur. Clinicians distinguish the onset of symptoms, the…Continue Reading
Psychotic symptoms in schizoaffective disorder can include hallucinations, delusions and disorganised thinking. Someone may hear voices, interpret neutral events as personally directed messages or struggle to express a coherent train of thought. These experiences can…Continue Reading
Schizophrenia is a mental health condition characterised by combinations of psychotic symptoms, negative symptoms and difficulties with cognition. Psychotic symptoms can include hearing voices, strongly held delusional beliefs and disorganised thinking. Negative symptoms involve reductions…Continue Reading
Prevalence describes how many people in a population have a condition during a specified period. Lifetime prevalence asks whether someone has ever met diagnostic criteria; point prevalence concerns a particular moment. These measures produce different…Continue Reading
Schizophrenia most often becomes apparent from late adolescence through early adulthood, although onset outside this period occurs. On average, men tend to develop the condition earlier than women. These are population patterns, not rules for…Continue Reading