Why don't people with schizophrenia make eye contact? Eye contact in schizophrenia

Reddit users diagnosed with schizophrenia shared the stories of their illnesses, and also told how their path to remission and recovery began, full of nightmares, visions and strange hallucinations. The story of every redditor with a mental disorder is like a fantasy story. And they are terrifying because they speak the absolute truth.

A Redditor under the nickname Passthedrugs decided to find out what life is like for people with schizophrenia, and started a thread full of stories about scary visions and hallucinations. The survey topic was simple and consisted of two questions.

Schizophrenics of Reddit, what were the first signs of your disconnect from reality and what advice would you give to those who may still discover that they have schizophrenia at an early stage?

At first, a large-scale discussion revolved around the so-called shadow people. These are imaginary creatures that those who see them associate with ghosts and take the form of a person or animal. Shadow people are widely used in folklore and esotericism to designate silhouettes and figures that a person can see on the periphery of vision.

However, people with perceptual disabilities are not always different from those who are absolutely healthy. So, blind residents of Great Britain told what they pay attention to during the first meeting with a potential partner. It turned out that they cope with feelings faster than any sighted person.

In everyday life, schizophrenics are people who are unbalanced or simply scandalous. In fact, this disease affects a certain type of people who have nothing in common with brawlers

Schizophrenia is still considered one of the most mysterious mental illnesses that has accompanied humanity throughout its history. Until now, scientists and doctors cannot answer the question of what is its cause.

It is only clear that the disease develops exclusively under the influence internal factors. It is completely wrong to look for its causes in the misfortunes that befall a person - the death of loved ones, unsuccessful love, in mental overload and stress.

Scientists suggest that brain biochemistry plays an important role in the development of the disease. For example, a lack of dopamine, the pleasure hormone, which leads to self-absorption, gloominess, “insensitivity” towards others, and sometimes to extravagance in behavior.

Heredity plays a significant role in the development of schizophrenia. But even here everything is unclear: it is known that even those parents, both of whom are sick, most often give birth to healthy children.

Another mystery: among those who suffered from clinical schizophrenia, there are many outstanding people. There are scientists, artists, writers, and other artists here. Why are they affected by this disease? It can be assumed that a highly developed psyche has increased fragility: this is the price to pay for giftedness and talent.

Down the stairs"

Genuine schizophrenia is most often invisible to the untrained eye. It can develop slowly, gradually destroying a person, but it can manifest itself abruptly, in a matter of weeks, or even in a matter of days, making a person unrecognizable. Such a sudden attack of the disease is called a “fur coat”. The term comes from the German word meaning shift. In this state, the patient is capable of the most desperate, but at the same time senseless acts. If you try to sort things out with him, the person will not even deny what he did, but he will not condescend to explain. And this is the result of a painful perception of the world: a patient with schizophrenia has lost the ability to perceive it holistically. No wonder “schizophrenia” means “split of the mind.”

After each painful attack, a person changes more and more, as if going down some kind of ladder.

A characteristic symptom of schizophrenia can be considered a painful disorder such as pseudohallucinations. “True” hallucinations are practically indistinguishable from real sensations. But pseudohallucinations are never mixed with other sensations. These hallucinations include so-called voices in the head. From the outside, you can notice that a sick person seems to be listening to something, arguing with someone, plugging his ears with his fingers or cotton wool.

The patients themselves, however, prefer not to talk about it. There is a medical joke: when the doctor asks “Can you hear voices?” the patient immediately gives an affirmative answer, then this is a malingerer.

Delirium delirium - discord

Another important sign of schizophrenia is delusional states. There may be delusions of persecution, invention, reformation, or special significance. A sick person may claim that his wife hates him because her slippers in the hallway were pointing in different directions... Or that you wish him harm because you wore a gray suit.

Especially often negative emotions concern people close to him - and the closer and more important the person to whom they are directed, the stronger they are. At the same time, the patient is deeply convinced of the truth of his ideas and it is never possible to refute them from the standpoint of logic.

The so-called reactive psychosis, which can have very similar manifestations, should not be confused with schizophrenia. This disorder can manifest itself as a relapse into childhood, when, for example, an experienced military man, after an artillery shelling, begins to feel like a child whose father sent him to the store to buy potatoes. And now the person is permeated with anxiety, he is afraid to return home because he could not buy anything... However, there is some logic in such delusional constructions: before the enemy’s shelling, a person is as defenseless as a child before a stern father. Such fears play a protective role: they seem to “turn you off” from a life-threatening situation, “forcing” you to fear something that is less scary than reality. Reactive psychosis ends as abruptly as it began.

Similar to schizophrenia and endogenous depression, when the patient’s mood

sharply reduced, thoughts are slow, unpleasant sensations may be present, such as a stone in the body. The causes of endogenous depression are also unclear. However, they have learned to correct it with the help of medications.

Hard way

Treatment for schizophrenia today, unfortunately, is not very successful: a person with such a diagnosis is forced to be on special medications for the rest of his life. Their cancellation can cause a further “slide” down the ladder of the disease.

Regular treatment in a hospital is also necessary, when medications are taken under the supervision of a psychiatrist, which in itself presents a certain difficulty, because such patients most often consider themselves healthy and it is difficult to persuade them to go to the hospital. It is very difficult for the relatives of such a patient. It is advisable that they use the help of a psychotherapist to help them withstand particularly critical situations.

To find out about your predisposition to this disease, doctors recommend carefully analyzing your behavior. The first signs of schizophrenia are easy to identify. The main thing is not to confuse them with symptoms of other diseases.

People prone to mental disorder are distinguished by a number of behavioral factors.

1. A sign of schizophrenia is a changed manner of communication. If a person speaks exclusively in short phrases, often remains silent or has difficulty finding words, it means that his mental state is not in order.

2. If you find it increasingly difficult to look into the eyes of your interlocutors, and you look away with relief, just in case, make an appointment with a specialist.

3. Do you no longer enjoy your previous hobbies? Can't concentrate and finish what you started? Perhaps it's not just laziness and fatigue...

4. Do you have a lot of important thoughts in your head that you can’t think through to the end? Try switching gears and getting some rest. If it doesn't help, you can start sounding the alarm.

It should be remembered that schizophrenia is a sluggish disease. The interval between detection of the disease and the onset of its severe stage may not be a year or two.

The following signs of mental illness characterize its more serious form:

1. Hallucinations. The patient talks to non-existent characters, talks about things that did not happen, etc.

2. Mania of persecution (specification of one’s enemies).

3. Untidy. A person suffering from schizophrenia becomes deeply indifferent to what his apartment and himself look like.

4. Sudden change of mood.

If you nevertheless discover the first signs of schizophrenia, you should not be upset. With proper treatment, this disease has long periods of remission. To delay the severe form of the disease as much as possible, it is necessary to avoid stressful situations and not take drugs.

According to the signs and dynamics of the eye contact patients with schizophrenia differ from mentally healthy people. Eye contact is most often absent (0.23); among patients with deficiency and catatonic syndromes, lack of contact is observed in half of the cases. At the same time, hands, the floor (0.12), the door (0.08), and in depressive and depressive-delusional syndromes - the window (0.14) are more often examined.

Lack of eye contact accompanied by actively avoiding gaze when trying to look into the eyes. In all cases, this correlated with negative symptoms. In patients with paranoid, hallucinatory-paranoid syndromes and Kandinsky-Clerambault syndrome, eye contact is more often continuous (0.46) and significantly more often accompanied by an unblinking gaze (0.18) and a sullen gaze (0.34).

In connection with these features in patients with schizophrenia In general, periodic eye contact is less common (0.65), which depends on stimuli, for example, a question (0.43). When answering questions, patients with schizophrenia are generally more likely to look at the interlocutor when answering a question and look away when asked, while mentally healthy people are more likely to look at the interlocutor when asking a question and look away when answering.

In patients with deficient and catatonic manifestations modification of eye contact does not occur even with intense exposure to stimuli. In only one case, a patient with depressive-delusional symptoms had changes in pupil size during a conversation.

Gesture. When studying gesture, no differences in typology were found in patients and healthy people: gesture systems differed depending on the leading syndrome. It turned out that mental patients with delusional syndromes are characterized by: gestures of withdrawal and disgust, demonstration, latent anxiety, i.e., a system of gestures of aggressive-preventive behavior. In depressive, depressive-paranoid, expansive-paranoid syndromes and in cases where productive psychopathology is associated with affect, a gesture-accent, a gesture of address, thoughtfulness, a completed action, clap, and latent anxiety were more often noted.

For negative, deficiency and catatonic syndromes Gestures of embarrassment, withdrawal, and submission predominated. Gestures make it possible to discriminate three groups of syndromes: a) affective and productive disorders associated with affect, b) productive, c) negative and deficit. The first group is characterized by gestures in the sphere of agonistic behavior, the second - gestures that evoke high empathy and induction in the interlocutor, the third - gestures aimed at minimizing contact and escaping from contact, interrupting it.

Motility of the head. Nodding and throwing back of the head, which are an accompaniment of contact, were not noted by us in deficiency and catatonic syndromes; in other psychopathological conditions they occurred as often as in mentally healthy people. In this section, we do not take into account forms of behavior that are not related to the context, in particular stereotypies.

Motor skills of the shoulders and torso. When observed in patients with schizophrenia with deficiency (0.12), catatonic (0.15) syndromes, a shoulder reaction was noted more often than in mentally healthy ones. In patients with paranoid syndromes and especially with expansive-paranoid syndromes, a short-term increase in the shoulder is more often observed (0.24). It has been noted that this symptom occurs only in men and in cases where the psychiatrist’s question is aimed at clarifying the features of psychopathology that are relevant for the patient, but which he dissimulates. During long-term observation in patients with schizophrenia, shudders (0.08) were also noted, which occurred only at the height of affect (expansive) under the influence of a strong extraneous sound or a change in the doctor’s position.

For catatonic syndromes flinches occurred (0.05) under the influence of minor stimuli (rustle of paper, raising a hand, etc.). In fact, the flinching reflected the degree of tension and anxiety. In patients with catatonic syndromes, when flinching, paranoid symptoms could always be noted behind the façade of catatonia.

Grooming motility in patients with schizophrenia noted as often as in mentally healthy people (0.51). In depressive-delusional and hypochondriacal syndromes, in two cases there was a tendency towards mutual grooming, but in general we observed only auto-grooming. The specificity of grooming in schizophrenia is its stereotypical nature, independence from external stimuli at the time of stereotyping. Stroking movements in deficiency and catatonic syndromes are performed with a straight hand.

Every field of medicine has a problem that is difficult to solve and yet impossible to ignore. In psychiatry, such a disease is. Therefore, it is so important to know how to recognize a schizophrenic, especially if you are not a specialist in this field. If it is necessary to identify oddities in a person’s behavior that are unacceptable to us, then the definition “schizo” is often used. Moreover, this may apply to both clothing style and political positions, if there is no coincidence with our tastes and outlook on life. However, it should be noted that schizophrenia as an illness is a completely different condition.

The difference is manifested primarily in the fact that perception and thinking are affected. The patient lives in his own world, which is incomprehensible and even scary for ordinary people. Such a person has almost no orientation in normal conditions. It can become dangerous for others.

As is known, among serial killers There are many schizophrenics. They, for example, could kill women of easy virtue, and at the same time had no doubt that they were saving the world from depravity. Decisions for people with schizophrenia are usually made by relatives, or this responsibility rests with doctors.

People with schizophrenia are often visited primarily by hearing aids, when a person hears non-existent voices. There are dialogues in his head that he hears, but is unable to stop or influence them in any way. In such cases, patients believe that this is a manifestation of the presence of otherworldly forces.

Such conversations may have a neutral content, but they are often frightening, leading the patient to despair. Sometimes voices persuade or order the patient to commit an act that is unusual for a healthy person. For example, jump out of a window. The person obeys, and he will be lucky if the apartment is on the first floor.

To know how a schizophrenic is recognized, you need to take into account other nuances of the course of the disease. In particular, delirium is considered another characteristic sign. At certain moments, the patient acutely feels his individuality, he is confident in his uniqueness. Some claim that they are prophets who can save humanity. That is, there is a delusion of special purpose, a delirium of greatness. And it happens that a schizophrenic claims that he is being monitored from space, is being pursued by CIA agents, or even claims that Satan is hunting him.

If you want to understand whether you should suspect a person of schizophrenia, pay attention to his stories. You may hear delirium of high origin. It is possible that the schizophrenic’s great-grandmother was indeed a princess, but if this idea takes on greater value for him, then we can assume that this is already a sign of illness. Schizophrenics may also suffer from delusions of bodily changes. For example, the patient is sure that he is able to fly, or breathe under water, or, some claim that their insides are filled with garbage, and so on.

Delusions of jealousy are widespread among people with this diagnosis. And if you are interested in how to recognize a schizophrenic, take a closer look at his family relations. Of course, it is not excluded that the wife may cheat with the janitor, but what is important here is how obsessive such thoughts are, how strongly jealousy has penetrated the consciousness, and to what extent it can be correlated with reality.

A person suffering from schizophrenia may have a figure that is extremely significant to him. Moreover, this is not always someone close to you. It happens that this is a salesman from a store, or maybe the president of a country, or an imaginary hero. The patient may claim that this super-significant person is able to control the course of his thoughts, and even force them into them.

Also, schizophrenics tend to have distorted perceptions. Both ordinary colors and sounds may seem unbearable to them, too intense. And if you ask a patient with schizophrenia to arrange cubes of different colors into piles, he may throw away some of them and include completely unnecessary objects in this classification. For example, spoons, or chairs.

Schizophrenia is characterized by extreme apathy, when a person completely withdraws into himself. His speech becomes impoverished and disappears, emotional reactions become inadequate. This condition causes social isolation, and often a person completely refuses contact with others. If there is catatonia, then the patient is constantly in motion, he cannot remain in a calm state. And sometimes, on the contrary, a person suffering from schizophrenia can freeze in one position for many hours.

Norm and pathology

The diagnosis of schizophrenia always has many nuances. How are schizophrenics recognized? To clarify the diagnosis, it is necessary that at least one pronounced symptom be present. This means that both the harmless, quiet “Napoleon”, who experiences the defeat at Waterloo in the evenings in his apartment, and the person who is frozen in an uncomfortable position for hours, are considered schizophrenic.

Of course, such a person will not survive without treatment in a hospital. As is known, in domestic psychiatry this diagnosis long time was given to everyone who did not fit into the rigid framework of other mental illnesses.

Any disease is dangerous and can lead to a disastrous outcome. But there are diseases that are not fatal, but also life-threatening. These include mental disorders of various types. To be prepared to face an illness that can affect anyone, you need to know what schizophrenia is and how it manifests itself.

Ancient healers wrote about this serious illness. A sick person has always been perceived with caution by society and this is quite logical, because no one knows what a mentally suffering person will do in the next minute. It is this disease that causes crimes, conflicts, and violence. Entire legends were created about the occurrence of the disease. Either the evil forces penetrating the human body, the incorrect location of the planets, bad weather, or food were to blame. In Rus', people who were insane and did not pose a danger to others were considered blessed. It was believed that they were filled with the Divine principle and spoke on behalf of higher powers. But the doctors did not stop and looked for answers to the questions. It was possible to classify and determine the forms, courses and types of the disease only in the 20th century. Thanks to this, it is possible to find out what schizophrenia looks like, diagnose the disease and undertake adequate therapy aimed at suppressing attacks and symptoms.

You can assume the presence of schizophrenia based on certain signs

There are a number of theories regarding the occurrence of the disease, and each of them has a basis for existence.

1. Psychoanalytic. Due to external circumstances, a person’s own “I” is suppressed and the development of a split personality occurs. The world around him becomes an object of danger for the patient; he strives to withdraw into himself, into his limited world, and withdraws. The problem is aggravated by the lack of understanding of loved ones and others.
2. Heredity. The theory states that there is a genetic predisposition to schizophrenia. The proof is depressing statistics - in at least 12% of cases with schizophrenics, one of the parents is sick. If both are sick, the risk increases to 40 percent. If identical twins are born and one of them is sick, then in 85% of cases the second one gets sick, if they are fraternal - 25% of the risk.
3. Serotonin factor. Some researchers argue that schizophrenia may be caused by overactivity of serotonin receptors. As a result, the production of serotonin increases, and nerve impulses decline. For this reason, certain antipsychotic drugs contain substances that stimulate hormone production.
4. Human Constitution. Each person has his own individual abilities and psyche. Stress, depression, infectious and other diseases can affect the body's condition in different ways. According to the theory, schizophrenia manifests itself in a person even before certain symptoms. He has a selfish, conflictual, hot-tempered, suspicious disposition. And diseases provoke attacks that increase and become regular.
5. Dysontogenetics. A person suffering from schizophrenia initially had structural pathologies in the brain. Due to provoking factors, the disease begins to develop. According to scientists, viral infections are especially detrimental to the patient, heat, poisoning with toxic substances.
6. Dopamine theory. According to the concept, the reason mental disorder is a high level of dopamine, which stimulates neurons. They, in turn, are unable to produce impulses normally, and a disturbance in the functioning of the brain occurs.

How to recognize schizophrenia

We often completely confuse normal person with character traits unusual for us with the patient. The modern course of life, politics, many diverse interests stimulate people to inappropriate actions, thinking, and strange manner of dressing. Therefore, it is important to know how to identify schizophrenia in a person. To do this, there is a certain list of factors indicating the disease.

First of all, in order to recognize the disease “schizophrenia” in a person, you need to pay attention to his type of thinking and perception of the world. A schizophrenic lives in his own world, has difficulty navigating reality, and can be dangerous. News feeds and reports of crimes committed “talk” about this. Maniacs, rapists, and murderers are people suffering from mental disorders.

A schizophrenic lives in his own world and has difficulty navigating reality

The first signs of schizophrenia in humans

Mental illness develops gradually. On initial stage Symptoms appear almost unnoticed. If it occurs, then others consider the signs to be a consequence of shock, stress, fatigue, or illness. The problem of identifying the disease is created by the patient himself.

Important: it so happens that in society people with mental disabilities are afraid and try to avoid them. The quality of life changes radically, a person feels like an outcast. In some cases, such social behavior is justified, but not always. For this reason, a person with a mental illness tries to hide his condition, which leads to aggravation of the situation.

Among the first signs that may appear are the following points that you need to pay attention to:

1. Failure to follow usual procedures. For example, a patient refuses to wash his face, head, clean his ears, or take a shower, because he does not see the need for it.
2. He gives monosyllabic answers to questions, speaks slowly, and his speech is impaired.
3. There are no emotions, the facial expression is the same, the patient does not look into the eyes of the interlocutor.
4. Complete indifference to previously favorite activities.
5. Inability to concentrate on a specific object or activity.

Then comes the next stage, in which the patient becomes more suspicious, eccentric, and emotionally inadequate.

Main signs of schizophrenia: how to recognize

In order to understand that there is a person suffering from schizophrenia nearby, you need to pay attention to the smallest details and nuances that directly indicate pathology.

The main factor is nonsense. Most often, the patient feels unsurpassed and highlights his individuality. During an attack, he points out his uniqueness, claims that he came into the world to save humanity, and imagines himself as a prophet. If in a conversation the thought comes up that your interlocutor works for the FSB, CIA or other intelligence service, suffers from persecution delusions, believes that aliens are watching him, devilry etc. - in front of you is a typical schizophrenic.

How to distinguish schizophrenia from a nervous disorder

Unlike someone suffering from a mental illness, a neurotic person is critical of his behavior and understands that something is really wrong with him. He will definitely turn to his loved ones and a specialist for help.

During schizoid attacks, the patient may lose his individuality

During neurotic attacks, the person’s personality is completely preserved, despite weakness and depressed mood. During schizoid attacks, the patient loses his individuality, becomes absolutely lack of initiative, indifferent, impoverishment of emotions occurs, and reaction inhibition develops.

Important: a neurotic attack is an acute disorder, but always reversible. After trouble, a person fully recovers. Neuroses, as a rule, arise due to the inability to cope with stress and difficulties.

It is possible to recognize schizophrenia in a person due to a complete defect in his personality. Pathology is constantly growing, adequacy is disappearing. Over time, the patient will no longer perceive reality, recognize loved ones, and the symptoms may become dangerous for others.

How to recognize schizophrenia in yourself

If the disease has overtaken you, then you will not be able to ignore it. Pay attention to the following factors that may be present in your behavior. If at least one of them is confirmed, immediately consult a doctor and take adequate treatment.

1. There is a feeling that your thoughts belong to someone else's being. Or there is a suspicion that you have been subjected to suggestion, telepathy, etc.
2. Someone is constantly eavesdropping on you, or your neighbor’s words are an overheard version.
3. Your head is a broadcast channel, a radio line, a TV, a screen; any thought can be stolen and become an object for everyone to see.
4. Any action you take is the result of external influence.
5. Any thought you have is the thought of a creature that has climbed into your body.
6. Someone is constantly following you.
7. They want to kill you, they want to offend you, cripple you.
8. See in every moment a message from above.
9. You believe that you have superpowers: you can predict the future, communicate with aliens, you can foresee danger.
10. You can perform a miracle, cause a fire, an earthquake, a flood, or inspire a stranger with your thoughts.

Important: you should not think that such moments are permanent. They appear and disappear suddenly. If you don’t remember what happened to you during the attack, listen to your loved ones, they won’t deceive you. Especially if hallucinations occur - a disturbed perception of reality, the person seems to be in a dream. He can talk to a non-existent interlocutor.

You can assume that a person has schizophrenia based on his speech and voice.

You can also recognize schizophrenia by speech. It becomes slurred, illegible, you are overcome by tongue-tiedness, and it gets worse every day. An indicator of the disease is strange types of habits: unusual posture while sleeping, when sitting.

What is schizophrenia expressed in children?

Despite the fact that the main “contingent” of psychiatrists are people from 15 to 35 years old, there are still cases of mental illness in children. The signs are obvious in children: they do not know how to talk, withdraw into themselves, and behave inappropriately. A sick child eats poorly, food falls out of his mouth, the baby does not learn hygiene, and lags behind his peers in development. As for older people who develop the disease, adults need to be very careful:

1. The child repeatedly talks about suicide.
2. He became detached and stopped communicating with his peers.
3. I stopped taking care of myself, taking a shower, cutting my nails, combing my hair, etc.
4. Suddenly there are attacks of hysteria, aggression, anger.
5. The child cries or laughs for no reason.
6. Behaves inappropriately: at a funeral he may laugh, at fun party cry.

How to diagnose the disease

The sooner mental pathology is identified, the easier it is to prevent serious exacerbations. At the first symptoms, you should consult a specialist. The doctor conducts a visual examination, talks with the patient’s relatives, and then with him.

Only a qualified doctor can make an accurate diagnosis

There are a number of special questions that can help identify schizophrenia and its stages. Mental disorder may also be a result infectious disease, AIDS, syphilis, etc. Therefore, the doctor directs the patient to undergo tests for research. The course of therapy includes medication, psychotherapy, and in difficult cases, surgical intervention is used.

Everyone has a natural fear of madness. After all, mental illness destroys a person’s consciousness, and he becomes insane and sometimes dangerous. What to do and how to behave if a loved one suffers from a serious mental illness - schizophrenia? When communicating with such people, it is important to follow certain rules.

It is necessary to remember that a mentally ill person looks at any life situation with different eyes than you - through the “distorting mirror” of his illness. His emotions and sensations are exhausted and damaged. Patients with schizophrenia often experience hallucinations, are obsessed with delusional ideas, may fall into apathy and lose touch with the outside world.

All this leads to the fact that in response to ordinary words, phrases and actions of loved ones, people with a defect in consciousness often give completely inadequate reactions - resentment, nagging, anger, accusations. Life with a schizophrenic in the family is truly not easy.

During the period of enlightenment of the mind, a schizophrenic, realizing that he is going crazy, experiences terrible mental anguish, fear, horror and shame of his situation. All this is accompanied by poor physical health, headaches, and depression. And this also affects relationships with other people.

What not to do when communicating with schizophrenics

To help healthy people who need to know how to behave with a schizophrenic woman or man, clinical psychologists and psychiatrists have developed a number of recommendations. The most important rule that is worth remembering is that when communicating with people suffering from mental disorders, you should never provoke or inflate a controversial situation:

Note! Particular care must be taken in families where a man is sick and a woman is looking after him. Recommendations on how to behave for a mother with a schizophrenic son or a wife with an unhealthy husband will be the same, but in addition one must also take into account the fact that the man is physically stronger, that is, the consequences of an open scandal can be much more serious - not all people suffering from schizophrenia able to control outbursts of aggression.

If the patient behaves aggressively

Symptoms of schizophrenia include hallucinations and delusional ideas, the content of which often makes those suffering from this disease aggressive towards the world around them.

How to deal with a schizophrenic if he is excited, irritated and negative? You need to act in a certain way:

• make sure that the reception regimen is not violated medicines, and if the patient refuses to take them, mix the drug into food or drink;
• If possible, try to completely avoid communication, not to participate in dialogue - often this is enough for the angry patient to calm down over time;
• do not raise your voice, talk calmly, measuredly, this will help relax a mentally ill person, while a response cry will only aggravate his attack;
• try not to look him in the eyes, this may be regarded by the patient as aggression;
• remove all dangerous objects (piercing and cutting objects, suitable for hitting, etc.) away, do this as discreetly as possible so as not to provoke another quarrel;
• remove people who contribute to irritation and outbursts of negativity in a mentally ill person.

If the situation is out of your control and the scale of the attack scares you, contact us immediately medical care. Always remember that a person suffering from mental pathology poses a real danger both to loved ones and to himself.

General rules of behavior with patients with schizophrenia

If your loved one is mentally ill, this is a difficult ordeal. But it is important to realize how much the state of a mentally ill person depends on whether relatives, family, and friends behave correctly. This impact is huge!

Doctors especially emphasize that with proper communication with loved ones, many people with schizophrenia live full lives. Sometimes sustained remission can last for decades. While without help the fate of victims of this pathology is often sad, the disease quickly progresses, making the person completely disabled.

The general rules for home care for mentally ill people are not complicated, the main thing is to follow them strictly:

• Make sure that all recommendations of the attending physician are followed: medications must be taken in full and on time, unauthorized discontinuation of medications or changes in recommended dosages are unacceptable, and the patient must attend the necessary psychotherapy sessions;
• it is important to adhere to the principles healthy image life and personal hygiene: giving up bad habits, maintaining a daily routine, moderate physical activity, maintaining cleanliness of the body and room, order in things and personal space;
• even if the patient does not work, you need to involve him in household chores, find possible and interesting activities, since occupational therapy is one of the effective methods of prevention and rehabilitation for schizophrenia;
• It is also very important to communicate with family, relatives, and people who are friendly towards him.

All this will make the life of a schizophrenic as calm and comfortable as possible, protected from stressful situations.

When communicating with a mentally ill person, always remember the need for patience and compassion. Study the nature of this disease; the knowledge you gain will help you better understand what is happening in the soul of a person suffering from the disease.

Additional information in the video. Psychotherapist, Candidate of Medical Sciences Galushchak A. talks about the social adaptation of schizophrenics and gives recommendations to relatives.

Behave carefully and carefully, it is very important to maintain the fragile trust between you. The life of a schizophrenic is filled with fears and suspicions. In addition, many patients are painfully worried about the fact of their illness and are ashamed of it. Often their delusions and hallucinations tell them that the world around them is hostile and full of dangers, and people want evil. All this makes the schizophrenic irritable and aggressive. Trusting you will help your loved one maintain contact with reality.

Separate in your mind the personality of the patient and his illness. It is very difficult and requires constant effort. But this is the only way to avoid becoming embittered in response to the common behavior of people with pathologies of consciousness: suspicion, anger and accusations against oneself.

Distance yourself if necessary. Remember that it is not always possible to reach an agreement with people with schizophrenia. Sometimes it is better and more correct to simply avoid a quarrel.

Support a sick person. Believe in the success of the treatment, in the possibility of a full and happy life for him. Your beliefs will certainly have a positive impact on the mood and condition of the patient - of course, with the right treatment selected by doctors.

The modern world is often cruel to people in trouble. Often, loved ones, friends and even family members simply abandon people who have fallen victim to mental illness. Finding themselves in social isolation, mentally ill people often lose their property and find themselves at the very bottom of their lives. While basic knowledge about the disease, participation, patience and love give the patient a chance for a healthy and happy life.

Everyone knows the unwritten truth - the earlier a disease is diagnosed, the easier it is to treat. And schizophrenia is no exception. The only problem is that early stages it is very difficult to recognize schizophrenia, and only relatives of the sick person can do this, and only on condition that they know what the symptoms are early signs of this disease.

What is schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is not one disease, but a group of different mental disorders that manifest differently in each person. People often call the disease “splitting of the soul,” and indeed, the sick person turns into a completely different person, which neither friends nor relatives recognize. But such changes occur already in severe cases; in the early stages, a person’s behavior and thinking changes slightly, but still causes bewilderment among those who know him.

Unfortunately, today doctors and scientists cannot say for sure what is the cause of this disease. However, this does not mean that effective treatment impossible. One of the leading clinics for the treatment of schizophrenia in Moscow is Mental Health - the clinic has its own hospital and research laboratory. Also, the Alliance Central Medical Health Center, the Preobrazhenie Clinic, and the Rosa Clinic are involved in the treatment of this disease.

Forms and symptoms: how to recognize schizophrenia?

How can we recognize schizophrenia among loved ones and thereby help a suffering person? You should know the main symptoms of schizophrenia and then, if you notice changes in the behavior of a loved one or close friend, you will be able to seek help in time.

So, the main signs of schizophrenia depend on its form. Paranoid schizophrenia is characterized by the occurrence of delusional states. A person who has fallen ill with this form of the disease is extremely suspicious, believes that there are enemies around him, and often sees hallucinations.

The depressive-paranoid form includes the previous symptoms and is complemented by a depressed state of consciousness. The patient is consumed by anxiety and a premonition of imminent disaster.

Circulatory schizophrenia causes an increased sense of superiority, talkativeness and agitation. Such people think that they are better than others and that everyone around them is jealous of them. But the signs of catatonic schizophrenia are complete apathy and inaction of a person who can remain in one position for hours or, on the contrary, inappropriate behavior (he can scream, sing, laugh for no reason).

The first "bells"

The above-described symptoms of schizophrenia become noticeable when the disease enters the active stage. However, schizophrenia may remain asymptomatic for many years. More precisely, almost asymptomatically - loved ones notice that something is wrong with the person.

In particular, the first warning signs of the disease are severe headaches, panic fears, frequent mood swings, increased anxiety and aggressiveness, directed first at loved ones and then at other people.

Relatives of the sick note that the person withdraws into himself, becomes uncommunicative, thoughtful and at the same time very often goes into conflicts, although this has not been observed in him before. At first these symptoms are temporary, but over time, moments of normal behavior become extremely rare.

The main symptom of the disease is a change in perception of reality. If your loved one begins to “talk about nonsense”, and at the same time is sure that this is how things really are, this is a reason to immediately consult a doctor. At the same time, a private psychiatric clinic - the best choice, since in this case you are guaranteed confidentiality, professional diagnosis and competent treatment.

How to behave with a patient with schizophrenia?

Any doctor will tell you that if you notice signs of schizophrenia in a loved one, you should never laugh at him or convince him that he is wrong - this can provoke aggression and inappropriate behavior. You need to listen to him and reassure him if possible, and then consult a doctor. The psychiatric clinic has the necessary conditions and medications in order to stop an attack of schizophrenia and help the patient come to his senses.

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How does schizophrenia manifest, symptoms of schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a complex disease in which it is difficult for a person to distinguish between what is real and unreal, to think clearly, to manage emotions, to treat others objectively, and it is virtually impossible to live a normal life. But this does not mean that there is no hope with this disorder. Schizophrenia can be successfully managed. The first step is to identify the signs and symptoms. The second step is to seek help immediately, the third is to strictly adhere to treatment. With proper treatment and support, a person with schizophrenia is able to lead a happy, almost fulfilling life.

Typically, schizophrenia changes a person’s inner world and behavior. Changes in behavior may include the following:

1. Social self-isolation;
2. Depersonalization (a feeling of unreality, being in a foggy and fairy-tale state), sometimes accompanied by intense anxiety;
3. Loss of appetite;
4. Loss of hygiene;
5. Misconceptions;
6. Hallucinations (auditory or visual, feeling that something does not exist);
7. Feelings are controlled by external forces;
8. Disorganized speech.

At times, a person with schizophrenia may not appear to be ill; in other cases, the illness may be more obvious, particularly due to eccentric behavior. For example, the symptoms of schizophrenia in adults are quite obvious if a person wraps his head with foil in the hope that aluminum will protect thoughts from some harmful waves that are transmitted to his brain.

Schizophrenia: symptoms

Positive symptoms in the patient’s behavior may appear and disappear. You need an accurate understanding of what to expect from a schizophrenic in order to take timely action. People who have the disease overt schizophrenia have very different symptoms, since patients differ from each other in their behavior, but by and large, they all cannot control the disease. In the active stage, the victim unleashes a stream of illogical sentences on others or reacts with uncontrollable anger and violence to a perceived threat. Patients may also experience relatively passive phases of the disease, in which they seem to lack personality, movement, and emotions (so-called flat affect). People with schizophrenia may alternate between these extremes. Their behavior is sometimes predictable, sometimes absolutely sporadic.

Clustering of schizophrenia symptoms

• Negative symptoms in schizophrenia (or deficit symptoms): Social self-isolation, difficulty expressing emotions (in extreme cases, so-called blunted affect), difficulties in self-care, inability to experience pleasure. These symptoms are caused by serious mental disorders and are often mistaken for laziness.
• Cognitive symptoms: Difficulty attending and processing information, understanding environment and remembering simple tasks.

Fragmentation of thinking is characteristic of this mental disorder. When medical students are taught how to identify schizophrenia, they are always advised to observe the way the person speaks. Patients typically have trouble concentrating and maintaining thoughts. They may respond to queries with an unrelated answer, start sentences on one topic and end somewhere completely different, speak incoherently, or say illogical things. General signs disorganized speech in schizophrenia includes free associations, rapid transition from topic to topic, without connecting a single thought between several. Neologisms are ready-made words or phrases that only have meaning for the patient. Perseveration - repetition of words and statements; saying the same thing over and over again. Meaningless use of rhyme.

Helpful Definitions in Understanding Schizophrenia

Psychosis: Psychosis is defined as a feeling of being disconnected from reality. During this phase, one may experience delusions or severe hallucinations. People with psychosis do not know that what they experience or some of the things they think are happening are not actually real. Psychosis is a prominent feature of schizophrenia, but is not a condition unique to the disease.

Schizoid Personality Disorder: This term is often used to describe a personality disorder that is characterized by an almost complete lack of interest in social relations and a limited range of emotional expression in interpersonal settings, which makes a person with this disorder cold and uncaring.

Schizotypal disorder: This term defines a personality disorder that is characterized by acute discomfort in relationships, as well as disturbances in perception, odd beliefs, and bizarre behaviors. Often people with schizotypal personality disorder are seen as unusual and eccentric due to their unusual mannerisms and beliefs, and these are not uncommon symptoms of schizophrenia in women.

Hallucinations: Patients may experience too much objects or events that are actually real only to them. Symptoms of schizophrenia in men who have fought may include experiences of events that are only real to them. Hallucinations may also occur visual images, auditory, smell, taste or touch. Hallucinations have no external source, and are sometimes described as "brain tricks" in humans. Research shows that auditory hallucinations occur when people misinterpret their internal self-talk as coming from an external source.

Illusion: An illusion is a false perception for which there is an actual external stimulus. For example, visual deception after seeing a shadow and misinterpreting it as a person. The words illusion and hallucination are sometimes confused with each other. Similar types of schizophrenia, but the symptoms are still different.

Delusion: A person with delusion has a strong belief about something, despite evidence that this belief is completely false. For example, a person may listen to the radio and believe that the radio is giving a coded message about an impending alien invasion. All other people who listen to the same radio program will hear, for example, an essay about road repair work taking place in the Moscow region.

Conditions that may look like schizophrenia

Medical and psychological conditions that a doctor must rule out before making a diagnosis of schizophrenia include:

Other psychotic disorders - schizophrenia, if you look at its symptoms on any video, is a type of psychotic disorder, that is, it involves a significant loss of contact with reality. But there are other psychotic disorders that cause similar symptoms of psychosis, including schizoaffective disorder, schizophreniform disorder, and brief psychotic disorder. Due to difficulties in differentiating between psychotic disorders, final diagnosis may take six months or longer.

Substance Abuse - Psychotic symptoms can be caused by many drugs, including alcohol, PCP, heroin, amphetamines and cocaine. If you want to know how schizophrenia and its symptoms begin, go on a tour to any specialized dispensary where people who use these substances that kill personality and health are observed. But some prescription drugs can also cause unwanted psychotic reactions. A toxicology screen can rule out drug-induced psychosis. If there is an understanding of the patient's substance abuse, the doctor will determine whether the drug is the source of the symptoms or simply an aggravating factor.

Medical Conditions - Schizophrenia, its symptoms may also result from certain neurological disorders (eg, epilepsy, brain tumors, and encephalitis), endocrine and metabolic disorders, and autoimmune conditions that negatively affect the central nervous system.

Mood disorders - look like the initial stage of schizophrenia, as well as its symptoms. The illness often includes changes in mood, including mania and depression. Although these mood changes are typically less severe than those caused by bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder. Schizophrenia is particularly difficult to distinguish from bipolar disorder. Positive symptoms of schizophrenia (delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized speech) may look like a manic episode of bipolar disorder, while negative symptoms of schizophrenia (apathy, social withdrawal, and low energy) may look like a depressive episode.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) - PTSD is an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to a traumatic event, such as fighting, accidents, or violent acts - there are cases where schizophrenia manifests itself in women after violence. People with PTSD, their images, sensations of smells and sounds, memories, are sometimes similar to schizophrenics with their hallucinations, however, these are completely different conditions.

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How can you recognize a schizophrenic (schizophrenia)?

Understanding how to recognize a schizophrenic among others is very important. And not at all in order to avoid this person or make fun of him. Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that can greatly change consciousness and even force a person to take actions that are unusual for him, sometimes life-threatening. Having determined that someone has symptoms of schizophrenia, you can promptly provide them with qualified diagnosis, observation by a psychologist, or medical care.

To determine whether a person is schizophrenic, you need to know how schizophrenia manifests itself. But there is one nuance here. Most of the symptoms of this disease are significantly enhanced behaviors of healthy people. After all, every person has anxiety or aggression. In a healthy person, these types of behavior are normal. In a schizophrenic, they either go beyond the norm, that is, they are of a pathological nature, or they manifest themselves inadequately, not corresponding to the situation.

It is important to understand that schizophrenia is a diagnosis, not a definition of strange people. Therefore, in no case should you take responsibility by calling a person schizophrenic. Only a doctor can determine this. A person incompetent in this matter can only assume the presence of a disease and recommend visiting a specialist.

To know how a person suffering from schizophrenia differs from healthy people, it is necessary to determine the main signs of schizophrenia in adults and children. Since an accurate diagnosis cannot be made through visual contact with a person, attention should be paid to the most striking manifestations of the disease.

Main manifestations of schizophrenia

One of the main manifestations of schizophrenia is the presence of hallucinations in a person. They can be not only visual, but also auditory. Moreover, the second option is much more common. Patients often hear voices or dialogues in their heads. Usually they are illogical and can push a person to commit rash and non-standard actions.

When such a symptom appears, schizophrenics are usually unaware of the true nature of these voices. They believe that aliens or deities are talking to them, for example. They are confident in the correctness of all those actions that are imposed on them, even if it is jumping from a roof, etc.

Hallucinations in schizophrenia may also be accompanied by absurd and confused thoughts, called delusions. It represents the presence of illogical statements in which the schizophrenic sees clearly formulated thoughts. Sometimes such delusions can be of a paranoid nature. In this case, the patient feels that he is being persecuted, that they want to kill him or take him to some world he himself has imagined.

Another version of delusion may be exalting oneself or someone from the environment. A schizophrenic may enthusiastically talk about how he is a messenger who will save the world, or a secret agent from another planet. All these stories will be intrusive, and if people around them reveal a lack of trust in these ideas, the patient may show strong aggression.

In addition, delusion can manifest itself in the form of jealousy. Having this symptom, a schizophrenic will be pathologically jealous of his partner. He will confidently talk about his significant other’s love affairs with a neighbor, a janitor, a salesman at a nearby store, etc. It is often impossible to convince such a person otherwise.

A symptom of schizophrenia can also be the identification of a hyper-significant personality by a person suffering from this disease. She may not only be a family member or acquaintance. This may be a stranger whom the schizophrenic will consider his master, mentor. He will be ready to unquestioningly carry out his instructions, believing in their righteousness. Because of this, the patient can become very vulnerable and fall under the influence of others.

All these symptoms characterize the most complex and profound form of the disease. Their manifestation may indicate high percentage the likelihood of a person having the disease. But there are other types of schizophrenia, which differ in other signs and symptoms. They usually appear less intensely. Thus, in the first stage of schizophrenia, patients are often characterized by inappropriate behavior without visible disorders of consciousness.

Peculiarities of behavior of schizophrenics

The main behavioral features of people suffering from mild forms of schizophrenia include the following:

This list is far from complete, since schizophrenia has many more behavioral changes. However, many of them border so much on the norm that it is almost impossible to identify a pathological character in them.

One of the most striking manifestations of schizophrenia is apathy. It can affect absolutely all areas of a person’s life. A person may become indifferent to communicating with other people, lose interest in activities that he was previously passionate about, and give up work or study. At the same time, a person does not feel the need to communicate with the outside world, he withdraws into himself and is ready to be completely alone for days. This state seems comfortable to him.

Vivid signs of schizophrenia

Aggression may also be a sign of schizophrenia. Moreover, it is usually spontaneous and does not depend in any way on the situation in which the patient is. Such aggression is not controlled by a schizophrenic. In this state, he can easily harm both himself and others.

Subsequently, he may not even remember what happened to him. In order to somehow explain these actions to themselves, schizophrenics give them a defensive character. They believe that this is the only way they can protect themselves from external threats. Moreover, these threats can sometimes be absurd. The patient may believe that some object or even color is causing him harm. He will avoid him in every possible way and be afraid of meeting him, considering it a mortal threat.

The catatonic state as a manifestation of schizophrenia is a movement disorder. It can be characterized by incessant movements, which can develop into an obsessive state. Having this symptom, the patient constantly makes some movements, which are often meaningless. He may walk in circles around the room, fingering beads, or washing his hands.

Another option is catatonic stupor. In this case, the schizophrenic freezes in some position, which can be completely uncomfortable and unnatural. The patient can remain in this position for several hours without responding to calls to him. Of course, this condition can also be a consequence of stress, but if it is systematic, then we can speak with great confidence about the presence of schizophrenia. This symptom answers the question of how to recognize schizophrenia.

All these manifestations and symptoms enable anyone to understand how to recognize a schizophrenic among healthy people. However, they are not the last resort for making a diagnosis. They can only indicate the presence of a mental illness, including schizophrenia, and become a prerequisite for visiting a psychiatrist or psychologist.

At the first manifestation of these symptoms in a loved one, you should immediately consult a doctor for advice.

You cannot delay with this issue, as you can aggravate the condition when the first stage of schizophrenia develops into an incurable pathology.

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How to identify schizophrenia by behavior

Modern methods of therapy make it possible to stop the manifestations of schizophrenia for a long time

Schizophrenia is a real scourge of our time. It creeps up on a person unnoticed and distorts his reality. Unfortunately, this disease still has no cure, but it can be kept under control. True, for this you need to recognize it in time!

Of course, only specialists can diagnose such a serious mental illness. But you can take a quick test to know you have nothing to worry about!

What is schizophrenia

Schizophrenia has many forms and variations. But the main sign of this complex mental disorder is that a person’s idea of ​​reality and his own personality completely changes

The whole difficulty of diagnosing schizophrenia lies in the fact that few people are able to adequately assess their mental state. A true schizophrenic is absolutely sure that he is healthy. Moreover, he is convinced of his exclusivity and special great mission on Earth

This is how it turns out that many people simply do not reach specialists. Of course, they suspect that something is wrong with them, but they attribute their “strange” state to stress, fatigue, or some external reasons. Meanwhile, the insidious disease progresses and completely changes their lives.

Not every psychiatrist can correctly diagnose schizophrenia. What can we say about ordinary people? Therefore, if you notice dangerous signs in yourself or someone you know, it is best not to panic, but to seek advice from good specialists.

How does schizophrenia begin?

Nothing is really known about the causes of schizophrenia. Psychiatrists say that most often genetics, coupled with stress, are to blame.

Typically, the first signs of schizophrenia appear between 18 and 35 years of age. But this mental illness can occur in absolutely any person at any time in his life. In the case of childhood schizophrenia, odd behavior is often attributed to transitional age or character traits.

The initial signs of schizophrenia are difficult to notice. But most often the following happens.

The person withdraws into himself and avoids communicating with people. He does not make contact well and loses interest in everything that previously brought him joy.

All physical sensations are dulled: such people may not notice hunger, and also forget to wash and change clothes on time.

A person may show inappropriate emotions: for example, the most innocent question causes irritation and aggression in him.

Important: this behavior is not unique to people with schizophrenia. This can be the behavior of a child who has experienced psychological trauma, a rebellious teenager, or an adult during depression.

Therefore, if you notice the above signs in someone, you should not immediately suspect schizophrenia. Such behavior only indicates that something is happening in a person’s soul. Perhaps you should talk to him and convince him to see a psychologist to get rid of stress and trauma.

True schizophrenia is manifested not only by these signs. When making a diagnosis, psychiatrists also pay attention to two types of clinical symptoms: major and minor.

How to recognize a schizophrenic: rapid test

This special rapid test will help you independently assess your risk of developing schizophrenia. Just remember that its results are just a reason to think about your mental health and turn to a professional!

So, to make a preliminary diagnosis, carefully review this list of schizophrenia symptoms and mentally check the box where you agree with the description.

Symptoms of a large circle

Hallucinations (voice, less often visual). A person can either understand that the voices in his head are only imaginary, or believe that he is talking to an invisible interlocutor. The main danger is that the VOICE can not only tell something, but also give directive instructions. For example, ordering someone to be harmed.

Echo of thoughts. This is a special feeling that your own thoughts are repeated or echoed (but not spoken out loud) at a short interval. In addition, a person can feel the “OPENNESS” of thoughts. In this case, it seems to him that those around him can know everything he is thinking about. Sometimes the patient believes that those around him deliberately control his thoughts: they erase them from memory or, conversely, put their own into his head.

Delirium of influence. A person is convinced that someone or something is CONTROLLING him. He can tell others that he was hypnotized, programmed, or specially exposed to some kind of rays.

Crazy ideas. The schizophrenic sincerely believes in his great MISSION. He must uncover a Masonic conspiracy, save the world from aliens, decipher messages from unknown civilizations, invent a time machine, and so on. Often a schizophrenic comes to the conclusion that everyone around him does not understand anything; he alone sees the TRUTH.

Small circle symptoms

Strange speech structures. A person is trying to explain something very important to him, but completely INCOMPREHENSIVE to others, since there is no logical connection between the phrases. Sometimes words are used that he himself invented, something like: “Varkalos. The flimsy little shorts were darting across the nave...”

Slow reaction. A person stops reacting to others and can sit for a long time and look at one point. In some cases, he falls into a STUPOR to the point of complete immobility.

Persistent illusions. They arise when the patient’s brain completes its own REALITY. For example, a schizophrenic may feel that people on the streets periodically grow horns or that his things come to life at night.

Negative symptoms. They are called so because a person gradually LOSSES skills: he becomes less emotional, loses interest in work, practically does not communicate with people, etc.

The result of the rapid test: POSSIBLE schizophrenia is indicated by the presence of AT LEAST one major symptom in combination with two minor ones.

In any case, the presence of any of these signs is a clear reason to go to a psychiatrist to figure out what exactly is going on.

How to deal with a schizophrenic

Having discovered a schizophrenic next to you, it is important to remember that some forms of this disease lead to exacerbations. At this time, the symptoms of the disease manifest themselves especially strongly, and the person himself seems to fall out of reality.

Since the patient does not understand what he is doing, it is impossible to predict his behavior. In the worst case scenario, a schizophrenic person may show aggression, which can be directed both at other people and at themselves.

What to do in this case? Call an ambulance for psychiatric help! In the meantime, the doctors are on their way to try to establish trusting contact and reassure the patient.

Under no circumstances should you prove to a schizophrenic that everything in reality is not at all what he thinks. Not only will he not believe you, but he will also count you among his enemies. Do you need it? Better try to play along with the person. For example, if he believes that he has invented a time machine, ask him to be sure to take you with him when he goes back in time, since you have a lot of unfinished business there.…

It also happens that a person is perfectly aware of reality, but at the same time periodically demonstrates certain symptoms of schizophrenia. Try to persuade him (for his own peace of mind!) to undergo an examination by a psychiatrist. This is difficult, but extremely necessary. If the patient refuses to go to the doctor, do everything possible to start his treatment: invite specialists to his home, go to private clinics, motivate him with anything

Modern methods of therapy make it possible to stop the manifestations of schizophrenia for a long time. Therefore, do not hesitate to contact professionals in a timely manner!

Are you worried about your nose being too big or your eyebrows not being perfect? Are you embarrassed that you stutter? Believe me, there is nothing wrong with this. There will always be people who will appreciate you exactly as you are. At the same time, there are seemingly innocent symptoms that may be signs of certain health problems and even diseases. We invite you to check yourself for predisposition to certain diseases right now!

Balding men are more likely to get prostate cancer

Just yesterday you had thick hair in which your comb got tangled, and today in its place there are three hairs sticking out, and they are in different directions? Baldness always takes a man by surprise. We consider this a natural process and do not see anything wrong with hair loss. But is this really true?

It turns out that men should be afraid of baldness, if only because this phenomenon is often “accompanied” by the most dangerous disease - prostate cancer.

The study, conducted by the National Cancer Institute of the United States of America, involved 4 thousand men of all ages. Having tested them, experts found that representatives of the stronger sex with signs of baldness are much more likely to develop prostate cancer. If a man has even minimal signs of baldness, the likelihood that he will suffer from prostate cancer in the next 20 years increases by 56% (compared to those with normal hair). If the baldness is “extensive” in nature, then the prognosis is even more unfavorable. Men with thick hair on their heads are almost 2 times less likely to develop prostate cancer than those with an impressive bald spot!

Another similar study concluded that developing a receding hairline on the crown or front of the head before the age of 45 increases the likelihood of developing prostate cancer by 40%.

This is interesting: How can baldness be associated with this terrible disease? Most likely, the fact is that they are caused by a common cause: excess testosterone. Oddly enough, some men may have too much “male” in their bodies.

It should be noted that prostate cancer is much easier to treat if it is detected in the early stages. Therefore, if suddenly one of your young acquaintances suddenly begins to go bald, recommend that he visit a doctor.

Men whose ring finger is shorter than their index finger may be schizophrenic

Dear men, look at your right hand and compare the length of your index finger and ring finger. If your index finger seems longer, there is a chance that you are schizophrenic.

This conclusion can be drawn from an article published in the scientific journal Clinical Anatomy. Scientists measured the length of the fingers of 135 men suffering from schizophrenia and compared the results with similar measurements of the fingers of healthy men. It turned out that on the right hand of schizophrenics, the index finger is almost always longer than the ring finger.

How can mental illness and finger length be related? The answer is simple: both your brain and your fingers began in the same place, in your mother's womb.

This is interesting: Scientists have found that if, during the formation of the unborn boy’s fingers, the content of androgens (male hormones) is lower than the amount of estrogens (female hormones), the fetal index finger becomes longer. In addition, a deficiency of male hormones leads to an incorrect distribution of functions between the right and left hemispheres of the brain. In the future, this can lead to schizophrenia.

In other words, if your hormones went haywire while you were developing in the womb, then you are a little crazy.

In Hollywood movies, psychopaths usually speak intelligently, like radio announcers, but in reality things are different. In 2009, American scientists examined 52 convicted serial killers, a third of whom had mental disorders. Experts discussed with the killers the crimes they had committed and the events preceding them. As a result, the researchers concluded that psychopaths use interjections (such as “well,” “that,” or “um…”) in their speech much more often.

Why is this happening? Scientists believe that psychopaths are forced to regularly interrupt their speech to make it more like the words of a sane person. Another interesting observation is that in the vocabulary of killers with mental disabilities there are many expressions such as “because” or “therefore.” The fact is that they are looking for a cause-and-effect relationship everywhere.

This is interesting: Psychos talk about murders committed as a logical result of a chain of interconnected events. And the listener often perceives such a story as quite logical, even if it begins with the words: “So, that Monday, my neighbor’s dog told me...”

Short men are more likely to die from heart attacks

It is believed that tall people, for example, basketball players rarely live to a ripe old age, since it is incredibly difficult for the human heart to pump blood through a two-meter body for 70, or even 90 years. But recently scientists have found that short people (primarily men) also have a hard life. They are much more likely to have heart attacks than people of average height.

Having collected data on 200 thousand people, members of the British Heart Foundation analyzed it and came to an important conclusion. It turned out that every additional seven centimeters of height (starting from 150 centimeters) reduces the risk of coronary disease by almost 14%. It should be taken into account that people of different heights who lived in approximately identical areas from an ecological point of view were examined; many of them smoked and regularly consumed alcohol. So the reliability of the results obtained should not be in doubt.

This is interesting: A man with a height of 150 centimeters is 64% more likely to develop serious illnesses hearts than a 180 cm man.

But don’t rush to install a horizontal bar at home or even fly to Korea to make an appointment with surgeons who lengthen limbs. Don't forget that alcohol, nicotine, stress and lack of sleep harm the heart much more than short stature. So it’s better to get rid of bad habits and switch to the right regime.

What are the reasons for the above dependence? Genes that limit growth may also affect the concentration of cholesterol and other harmful substances in your blood, scientists say.

People who don't make eye contact may be schizophrenic

People who try to avoid direct gaze during a conversation are considered to be lying. If you look into the eyes of someone you know, and he looks away, there is good reason to assume that he is at least hiding something from you. But you shouldn’t overburden yourself with the thought: “What could he be keeping back?” The fact is that your friend may not be a dishonest person, but an ordinary schizophrenic. Scientists have long known that people with schizophrenia tend to avoid direct visual contact with the interlocutor. But only recently did they find out that these people were not planning anything bad at all. Often they simply don't understand where you are looking.

Researchers showed patients with schizophrenia many photographs of people whose gaze was directed in different directions. It turned out that the subjects had trouble figuring out who was looking directly at them.

This is interesting: You can test yourself right now. Move your index finger in front of your eyes from right to left and in the opposite direction and try to track its movement with your gaze. Do you not have time to follow him or, on the contrary, are you in too much of a hurry? There is a high chance that you are schizophrenic.

On the other hand, after these observations, scientists were able to create a model that, with 98% accuracy, is able to identify a schizophrenic by analyzing eye movements.

This is, of course, good. But what about those two percent of people who were called mentally ill only for the reason that they were distracted for a second and looked somewhere to the side while passing the test?

Asians whose faces turn red after drinking have a high chance of developing cancer

Europeans often experience red faces after drinking alcohol. So you might think that there's nothing wrong with a red-faced drinking Asian either. But in reality, this minor sign may indicate that he has a potentially fatal disease.

If you have a Korean, Chinese or Japanese among your friends, invite him to a drinking party and check his health. If his face suddenly turns red after drinking a few drinks, this is a sure sign of a dangerous chemical reaction provoked by genetic defects. This person's body cannot properly metabolize alcohol because he does not have the ALDH2 enzyme responsible for breaking down ethanol. Fortunately, all Europeans have this enzyme. Therefore, alcohol in their body does not turn into a toxic substance called acetaldehyde.

Asians with such a genetic deficiency simply cannot digest alcohol. Alcohol provokes increased heart rate and redness of most of the skin (face, abdomen, back, arms). Other symptoms of deficiency are nausea and headache. Unfortunately, they can be easily confused with manifestations of ordinary alcohol poisoning. Therefore, many people do not understand that a serious danger is looming over them.

What can alcohol consumption lead to in Asians who do not have the ALDH2 enzyme? For example, to the development of esophageal cancer. Acetaldehyde is a carcinogen, so if your Asian friend turns red after drinking alcohol and drinks regularly, he is 8 to 10 times more likely to get esophageal cancer.

Psychopaths don't get infected by yawning

It's no secret that yawning is contagious. And not only among people. In monkeys, dogs, cats and many other mammals, yawning has also been found to have a domino effect. This can be explained by a phenomenon called empathy (the tendency to empathize and understand another person). Looking at people, we to some extent unconsciously “adapt” to them. Therefore, when someone around us begins to yawn, our brain tries to “feel it for ourselves” and gives the body a command to duplicate what it saw.

However, there are people who are not particularly sensitive to others. This insensitivity can reach an extreme degree, then doctors classify them as psychopaths.

This is interesting: Psychopathic criminals kill people without feeling any remorse. They simply cannot empathize or sympathize.

Knowing this, the researchers decided to find out whether psychopaths would yawn along with those around them. First, participants filled out a questionnaire that allowed scientists to determine their approximate psychological condition. They were then asked to watch various videos. In some of them people laughed, in others they cried, in others they laughed, etc.

After analyzing the reactions of the experiment participants, the researchers concluded that the subjects who were close to psychopathy when looking at people yawning themselves yawned very rarely.

How can this knowledge help you in life? The next time you find yourself in the middle of yawning people (for example, students in a boring lecture), look around. If someone is not “infected” by widespread yawning, then he is either a nerd who only notices the board and the teacher, or a psychopath.

Can you tickle yourself?

You can tickle your girlfriend and she can tickle you. At the same time, no one can tickle himself. Well, almost no one.

But, as you know, there are exceptions to every rule. And if, after reading the previous paragraph, you thought that you could tickle yourself, then most likely you are a schizophrenic (yes, once again today). Our condolences.

This is interesting: We fail to tickle ourselves, because the brain understands that it controls our actions. It doesn't matter whether you see your hands or not. At the same time, the brain of people with schizophrenia cannot correctly classify the consequences of actions performed on its orders. Even if a schizophrenic person realizes that he is trying to tickle himself, his brain does not understand that it is precisely these movements that cause the sensation of tickling on the body. Therefore, the person reacts to them as if someone else is tickling him and begins to laugh.

Everything in the human body is interconnected. Therefore, one can often suspect malfunctions in the functioning of some organ based on external manifestations. We recommend that you remember the signs listed above that indicate the possible presence of health problems, and more carefully observe those around you. Perhaps you can help some of them by advising them to consult a doctor in time.