9 characteristic symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia
What is paranoid schizophrenia?
Paranoid schizophrenia is a mental illness, a subtype of schizophrenia, in which the patient has delusions (false and false beliefs) that one or more people are conspiring against him or her members of his family.
Paranoid schizophrenia is the most common subtype of the disease. Very often the disease is accompanied by auditory hallucinations – patients hear things that are not real.
In many cases sufferers have a delusional sense of grandeur which makes them feel much more powerful, influential and important than they really are.
A person with paranoid schizophrenia may spend an extremely long time thinking about how to protect themselves from non-existent pursuers and dangers.
Typically, people with paranoid schizophrenia have fewer memory problems than people who suffer from other subtypes of schizophrenia. This helps them to think and act as individuals much more effectively in various everyday situations.
Even so, paranoid schizophrenia is a lifelong chronic illness. Complications and even suicidal thoughts and desires are possible.
However, with the right treatment and support, these people have an excellent chance of leading a very good quality life.
What are the signs and symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia?
A symptom is something the patient says they experience and feels, and a sign is what bystanders and the treating physician can see. For example, drowsiness may be a symptom, while dilated pupils may be a sign.
A patient with paranoid schizophrenia has relatively frequent moments of insanity, which are often accompanied by auditory hallucinations (hearing things that are not happening) and perceptual disturbances. Some of the disorders are not visible to others and are not very popular as a symptom of this disease.
9 symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia:
1. Hearing voices that don’t exist. Visual hallucinations are not excluded, but are still rare.
2. Delusions – these are beliefs in which there is no truth. These beliefs exist only in the mind of the sufferer and cannot be proven with any real evidence. The patient may firmly believe something that other people can clearly see is not the case. The patient could, for example, suggest to himself that his neighbor is trying or wants to poison or kill him in some other way.
3. Anxiety – the patient with paranoid schizophrenia most often experiences periods of very high anxiety.
4. Anger – this emotional state can range from normal nervousness and irritability, which all healthy people also sometimes experience, to intense rage. Anger can increase heart rate, blood pressure, and levels of adrenaline and noradrenaline.
5. Patients with paranoid schizophrenia are often withdrawn and isolated (physically and emotionally). They can suddenly become distant and reserved.
6. Aggression and violence – aggression can reach levels where violent and uncontrollable outbursts occur.
7. Sometimes patients with this disease may start arguing violently with people with whom they are otherwise on good terms.
8. Condescension – sometimes the sufferer can think that he knows things that no one else knows and has not realized and thus show condescension to others.
9. Suicidal thoughts and behavior– these can be noticed by others through statements like “I wish I had never been born!” or “I wish I were dead!”. The patient could go further and get a weapon with which to kill himself or start collecting pills to poison himself.
Other warning signs may be:
– social withdrawal;
– mood swings (although mood swings are less commonly associated with this type of schizophrenia;
– preoccupation with thought about death, dying and violence;
– the patient’s feeling of being trapped and feelings of despair;
– consumption of drugs, medicines and alcohol;
– change in eating and sleeping habits ;
– giving away belongings and belongings;
– saying goodbye to people as if they will never see each other again;
While some patients may have suicidal behavior and thoughts that are obvious to those around them, in others these behaviors may be more covert. The warning signs can be more clearly discernible, and sometimes completely imperceptible.
What are the risk factors for paranoid schizophrenia?
A risk factor for a disease is something that increases the likelihood of developing that particular disease. For example, obesity significantly increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Therefore, obesity is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes. The risk factors for paranoid schizophrenia are the same as those for most other subtypes of schizophrenia, namely:
– genetic factors – in families in which there are cases of schizophrenia, there is an increased risk of developing the disease in the others as well. If you have no family members with paranoid schizophrenia, your chance of developing the disease is less than 1 percent. If one of your parents has the disease, your risk increases to 10 percent.
– viral infection – if the unborn baby in the womb is exposed to a viral infection, there is a greater risk of developing paranoid schizophrenia.
– malnutrition of the embryo – if the embryo is exposed to malnutrition during pregnancy, after birth the person is exposed to an increased risk of developing paranoid schizophrenia.
– severe stress in early childhood – experiments show that experiencing severe stress in early childhood can lead to the development of schizophrenia. In many cases, the onset of the disease is preceded by strong stressful experiences.
Prior to other symptoms, people usually become short-tempered, unfocused, and anxious. This can harm relationships with other people.
In reality, it is extremely difficult to guess whether a crisis in relationships with other people is the cause of the illness or the crisis is the result of problems in relationships with other people.
– childhood trauma
– parents’ age – elderly parents have a greater risk of having a child with schizophrenia compared to young parents.
– the use of narcotic substances can be a reason for the emergence of paranoid schizophrenia in some people.
Treatment
Paranoid schizophrenia is a disease that lasts throughout the individual’s life – it is a chronic condition. Patients with paranoid schizophrenia require treatment on an ongoing basis.
Even when symptoms seem to have subsided, treatment should be continued. This period is a tempting time for schizophrenic patients, and they often insist that they are fine and do not need more help.
Treatment is the same for all forms of schizophrenia. There are variations depending on the severity and type of symptoms, the patient’s health, his/her age, and some other factors.
Treatment options include medication, psychotherapy, sometimes hospitalization (or partial hospitalization), ECT (electroconvulsive therapy), and vocational skills training.
