精神分裂症是一种严重的大脑紊乱。这是一种疾病，使人难以区分真实和虚幻的体验，难以逻辑思考，难以对他人有正常的情感反应，难以在社会场合正常行为。精神分裂症患者在记忆、说话和行为方面也有困难。

原因与症状

精神分裂症是最常见的精神疾病之一。世界上大约1%的人患有精神分裂症。在美国，大约有250万人患有这种疾病。精神分裂症是住院治疗人数最多的疾病。精神分裂症最常见的发病年龄在15到25岁之间。尽管它对男性和女性的影响是一样的，但女性出现症状的时间可能比男性晚。精神分裂症的症状很少会在12岁之前出现。儿童精神分裂症的病程更为慢性，早期语言发育不良。精神分裂症患者可能有多种症状。有时，这些症状突然出现。然而，通常情况下，这种疾病会在几个月甚至几年的时间里缓慢发展。起初，这些症状可能没有被注意到，或者可能与其他病症混淆。 For example, people with schizophrenia may feel tense, be unable to concentrate, or have trouble sleeping. They often become increasingly isolated and withdrawn as their grip on reality loosens. They do not make or keep friends. They may stop caring about the way they look. Dropping out of school or doing badly at work are other early signs of schizophrenia. As the illness progresses, symptoms of psychosis develop. The person starts to act strangely and talk nonsensically. People with schizophrenia may develop paranoid delusions. Examples of this would be that they might see, feel, smell, or hear things that are not really there. They may have physical symptoms, like frowning or unusual movements, and may stand or sit in strange positions. Some people become almost motionless. Others move around constantly. The severity of symptoms will vary from one person to another. The symptoms also tend to worsen and improve. When the symptoms are improved, the person may appear to behave relatively normally, but usually there will be repeated episodes of the illness that will cause symptoms to reappear. Schizophrenia is a complex and puzzling illness. Even the experts are not sure exactly what causes it. Some doctors think that the brain may not be able to process information correctly. People without schizophrenia usually can filter out unneeded information: for example, the sound of a train whistle in the background or a dog barking next door. People with schizophrenia, however, cannot always filter out this extra information. One possible cause of schizophrenia may be heredity, or遗传学。专家认为有些人遗传了精神分裂症的倾向。事实上，这种疾病倾向于在家族中“传播”，但只在血亲中传播。家庭成员患有精神分裂症的人自己也更有可能患上这种疾病。如果亲生父母都患有精神分裂症，那么他们的孩子也有将近40%的几率患上。即使孩子是由心理健康的成年人收养和抚养的，这种情况也会发生。在同卵双胞胎中患有精神分裂症的人，精神分裂症发展的几率几乎是50%。相比之下，那些亲生父母精神健康的孩子——即使他们的养父母患有精神分裂症——也有大约1%的几率患上这种疾病。这与美国普通人群的患病风险大致相同。一些研究人员认为，在一个人的环境引发精神分裂症。一些研究表明，怀孕期间的流感感染或营养不良以及分娩期间的并发症可能会增加婴儿日后患精神分裂症的风险。许多人认为精神分裂症很可能是由复杂的遗传和环境因素．有些人生来就有患这种疾病的倾向。但只有当这些人暴露在不寻常的压力或创伤之下时，这种疾病才会出现。精神分裂症通常用抗精神病药物治疗。一些精神分裂症患者也从咨询和康复中获益。急性发作时，他们可能需要去医院。

读：

白化病:原因和症状

警告标志

不寻常的行为，缺乏沟通技巧，社交退缩，无表情的凝视，不适当的笑或哭，抑郁，奇怪/不理性的陈述，对批评的极端反应，无法哭或表达喜悦，健忘，无法集中注意力

症状

妄想，幻觉，缺乏动力，社交退缩，思维障碍，语言紊乱，行为紊乱

治疗

治疗的目标是减少急性发作期间的症状，并帮助防止复发。目前，还没有治愈的方法精神分裂症。抗精神病药物对控制精神分裂症的症状非常有效。这些药物最早出现在20世纪50年代中期。他们极大地改善了成千上万人的生活。在此之前，精神分裂症患者大部分时间都在拥挤的医院里度过。然而，有了抗精神病药物，许多精神分裂症患者可以在外界生活。因为每个精神分裂症患者都有独特的症状组合，没有一种药物对所有人都最有效。对一个人来说理想的药物可能不是对另一个人最好的选择。虽然抗精神病药物不能治愈这种疾病，但它们可以减少幻觉和妄想，帮助精神分裂症患者重新掌握现实。药物治疗还可以降低症状复发的风险。 If the person does have a relapse of symptoms, medications may make the symptoms less severe. People with schizophrenia can have a hard time communicating with other people and carrying out ordinary tasks. Counseling and rehabilitation can help people with schizophrenia build the skills they need to function outside the sheltered setting of a hospital. However, these treatments are not very helpful during acute attacks. Rehabilitation programs may help people with schizophrenia develop skills such as money management, cooking, and personal grooming, for example, needed for ordinary life. They may also prepare the person to go or return to work. Individual psychotherapy may help person with schizophrenia learn to sort out the real from the unreal. Group therapy may help them learn to get along with others. Self-help groups may help persons with schizophrenia feel that others share their problems. The best way to prevent relapses is to continue to take the prescribed medication. People with schizophrenia may stop taking their medications for several reasons. Side effects are one of the most important reasons that people with schizophrenia stop taking their medication. It is hard for people to put up with unpleasant side effects for months or years. It is especially hard when the person feels well. It is very important to find the medication that controls symptoms without causing side effects. Convenience is also important. Some medications need to be taken two, three, or even four times a day. Others may be taken just once a day. People are more likely to remember to take a medication once a day than several times a day. Some people prefer to get injections every month of long-lasting medication. Taking medications regularly is the best way to prevent repeated illness and hospitalization.