What is Schizophrenia?

David Raminfard is a successful entrepreneur and the current President of KasLen Textiles. KasLen Textiles is a wholesale distributor of fine designer fabrics and has gained recognition by top interior designers in the Los Angeles area and around the world.

Schizophrenia is a common mental disorder that affects a person’s ability to behave, feel, think, and feel clearly. In the US, there are more than 200,000 cases per year. This disorder can result in hallucinations, delusions, and extremely disordered thinking. This can have an effect on daily functions and can be disabling.

It is sad to note that people with Schizophrenia usually need lifelong treatment. There is no direct cure as of yet, and treatment consists of a combination of psychotherapy and mediations.

What are the symptoms of Schizophrenia? Symptoms usually consist of a range of problems with cognition (thinking), behavior, and emotions. Symptoms vary, but here is a list of common symptoms that may show up with patients who have this disorder:

Hallucinations — this refers to when a patient starts seeing or hearing things that are not really there/don’t exist. The most common kind of hallucination is hearing nonexistent voices.

Delusions — this refers to having false beliefs that are not real. For instance, you may think that someone is in love with you, when in reality, they are not. Delusions occur in most people with Schizophrenia.

Cognitive Symptoms — this includes problems in attention, concentration, and memory. For some patients, these effects are subtle, but for other patients, these effects can interfere in their every day lives and be more prominent.

Symptoms can vary with age and over time, and it is interesting to note that some symptoms will always be present. Schizophrenia can start as early as 20s — for men, symptoms show up in the early to mid 20s, while for women, symptoms show up in late 20s.