Schizophrenia/Psychotic Disorder

Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness that interferes with a person’s ability to think clearly, manage emotions, make decisions and relate to others. The first sign of schizophrenia shows up in persons between 15-34 years old. The illness affects around 1% of the Belizean population and can be very difficult for families to deal with.

People with psychotic disorders lose contact with reality and experience a range of extreme symptoms that usually includes:

• Hallucinations—hearing or seeing things that are not real, such as voices
• Delusions—believing things that are not true

• Positive Symptoms: Hallucinations (seeing things, feeling things, tasting things, smelling things hearing things that are not there or no one can relate too) Delusions (false fixed beliefs), disorganized thinking, agitation or excitement, suspiciousness, and hostility, believing that others can influence their thoughts, or that they can influence the thoughts of others, believing that they are being watched or followed, feeling that their thoughts have either sped up or slowed down
• Negative Symptoms: apathy, emotional unresponsiveness, slowed speech and movements, difficulty in thinking abstractly, poor communication skills, a decrease in physical activity