Schizophrenia is characterised by such a wide variety of features that it is regularly passed by as an explanation for symptoms, especially when only a few of them are present. This is a primary issue with patients and usually why many do not get the treatment they require. If you are genuinely concerned that you may be suffering from the symptoms of schizophrenia, the best advice is to consult your GP. If he or she feels that there is a chance you might have the disorder, you will be referred to a psychiatrist to get to the bottom of the problem.

It is important to not panic; many people feel that treatment is going to do them no good at all and do everything within reason to avoid it. This is frequently based upon the hallucinations and delusions that need to be treated in the first place. Negative symptoms are even more difficult to attribute to schizophrenia; you may confuse these symptoms with depression or apathy, when they can be readily treated. It is especially difficult when others close to you assume that you’re merely being lazy.

On the other hand, if you are questioning whether you might have schizophrenia at all, the odds are that you are fine and are experiencing other unrelated problems. Visiting your GP will clear up any worries you might have.

Again, the best advice is to get in touch with your GP, or a social worker. Many people with schizophrenia only get by with the close aid of friends and family and often need to be pointed in the right direction to get help. Indeed, many patients will go very much out of their way to avoid treatment and this rarely helps them in the long term.

There are many criticisms of the science of psychiatry and the methods of treatment employed, yet all evidence gathered over many years of dedicated and careful research indicates that patients without treatment have a greatly reduced chance of regaining normal social function when compared with those who do have treatment.

Every drug has side effects, some more than others, but the pharmacological risks associated with antipsychotics are generally considered worth administration. Any side effects are temporary and no lasting damage is done from a prescribed course of antipsychotics that does not exceed any recommended dosage.

Some patients have heavily criticised the methods of psychiatric rehabilitation used in mental healthcare, but these are subjective opinions often based upon the altered perception of reality that characterises schizophrenia and are rarely shared by family and friends, except in sympathy. It is understandable to feel anxious about a system that might be seen as restricting freedom regardless of personal choice, but it is in place out of a desire to help, not hinder people in recovering from complex and frightening disorders.

Some people with schizophrenia believe that their experiences are a spiritual awakening, or that they have reached a higher level of human thinking than those around them. Others may feel that their actions do not require treatment, or that they have discovered new states of mind that are in no way negative. These are understandable beliefs considering how good our brains are at altering reality.

The best way to consider such a question is the way others who are close to people with schizophrenia feel about the change in lifestyle. Very few feel that the changes have been for the better, with the majority concerned that they now have a friend or relative who is not the same person any more.

The delusions and hallucinations associated with schizophrenia are very powerful and convincing. It becomes very easy to believe something that may seem completely irrational to others when there is nothing to disprove it. Of course there is no way to not prove that the altered perception of reality is not an advanced state of mind, but the vast majority of people employ logic and reasoning to come to a conclusion that seems most likely considering all possible variables. Maybe looking around the website will help you make up your mind.

There appears to be an increased risk of developing schizophrenia if a close relative has had it, but there is nothing at all definitive in these statistics. Schizophrenia can sometimes be relatively prevalent within a single family, and other times appear in a family that has never had it before. There are too many different factors that contribute to the disorder to be sure.

Schizophrenia is often considered a disorder that automatically leads to violent behaviour. This is not the case at all; although there is a slightly higher percentage of violent acts committed by those with schizophrenia when compared with those who are unaffected, this is still less than those relating to alcoholism or substance abuse. Indeed, those patients who do commit violent acts are often taking drugs or drinking regularly as well.

Often violent acts may stem from paranoid delusions and perceptions of threat or jealousy. These states are treatable and highlight the importance for medical intervention. Patients are much more likely to be the victims of violent crime: at least 14 more times more often than they are perpetrators. This high incidence of victimisation of those with schizophrenia is usually related to complex family interactions and stressful situation arising from symptoms.