Psychiatry, conditions
Schizophrenia is a condition that can change how a person thinks, feels and acts. Care can help. Your questions, your concerns about medicine and your own goals belong at the centre of that care.
Get help now if anyone is in danger or cannot stay safe. Do not wait for a routine appointment. Urgent signs include:
Call 112 or go to the nearest emergency department. See crisis lines.
Schizophrenia is one kind of psychosis. Psychosis means losing touch with the reality other people share. This page is about schizophrenia. For psychosis in general, read our psychosis guide.
Some changes are easy to notice. A person may hear voices or hold strong beliefs others do not share. Their thinking and speech may become muddled.
Other changes are quieter. A person may pull away from friends, stop caring for themselves, or feel flat. Families sometimes mistake this for laziness. These changes can be part of schizophrenia. A review should also check for depression, medicine effects and physical illness.
Signs often begin slowly, sometimes in the teenage years. Many people have hard episodes with calmer times in between.
No. Many things can cause voices or unusual beliefs. Alcohol, drugs, some medicines and physical illness can all play a part. So can mood conditions such as bipolar disorder.
A psychiatrist checks for these before naming schizophrenia. An online checklist cannot do this.
Sudden confusion is different again. It needs emergency medical care now: call 112 or go to the nearest emergency department. Read about delirium afterwards.
A psychiatrist asks about your experiences, your health and your daily life. This includes sleep, alcohol and drug use, medicines and past care. It also covers relationships, work or study, and what you are good at.
A physical check matters too, because physical illness can cause similar experiences. You can ask what is being considered and what is still uncertain. You can also ask for a written plan.
If talking is hard, you can write things down, take a pause, or bring someone you trust.
Care often includes antipsychotic medicine, talking therapy, family work and practical help. A specific talking therapy, called CBT for psychosis, can help. So can family intervention, which is a structured therapy for the whole family. Help with physical health, work and study also counts.
Not every clinic offers every option. Ask who would provide each part, and how they will work together.
You and your psychiatrist choose together, and side effects count. Medicines differ in their side effects. These can include weight gain, restlessness, stiffness or shaking, and changes in hormones or heart rhythm. Some people feel slowed or dulled.
People differ in which effects they most want to avoid. Tell the prescriber which ones matter most to you. Ask about tests, such as weight and blood checks, and when the plan will be reviewed.
With your agreement, a family member's view can be part of the choice.
A long-acting injection is one option some people prefer. It is a choice to make with you, not for you.
Talk to your prescriber first, and do not stop suddenly on your own. In the first year or two after an episode, stopping medicine carries a high risk of symptoms coming back.
Your reasons still matter. Say what you hope would get better, such as less sleepiness or weight gain. If you and your prescriber agree to lower a medicine, it is done slowly, with regular check-ins.
A review can look again at the diagnosis and the whole plan. It checks how the medicine has been taken, side effects, alcohol or drug use, other medicines and physical illness. It also checks which talking therapies have been tried.
If two medicines have not helped enough, a specialist option may be offered. Ongoing difficulty does not mean you have failed.
Yes. Your goals can be part of care. In one Indian study, people with schizophrenia valued work or study, time with others and daily activity. They also valued making their own choices.
If you want to work, ask about supported employment. This is a specific service that helps people find and keep paid work alongside care. Work is one possible goal. It is not a test of your worth.
Some people find them helpful, but they are not a treatment. A large trial gave people with psychosis online access to other people's recovery stories. After a year, their quality of life was no better than the comparison group.
So stories are optional, and you can stop reading at any time. They do not predict your own path.
Well-being and strengths-based programmes are still being studied in schizophrenia. They may be an extra for some people. They do not replace care for psychosis.
You decide, as far as possible, who is involved and what is shared. Family can tell the team what they notice. That is different from the team sharing your private details back.
Your health information is confidential under section 23 of the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017. There are limits. Information can be shared with your care team, or to protect someone from harm.
A diagnosis does not, by itself, mean you cannot make decisions. In a serious crisis, specific legal safeguards apply. Families can be offered support of their own.
Yes. A crisis plan is a conversation you have while things are calmer. Note your own early signs. These might be poor sleep, pulling away, rising suspicion, or more alcohol or drug use. Write down what helps and who to call.
A crisis plan is not the same as a legal advance directive. A legal directive has its own rules under sections 5 to 13 of the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017. The rights page explains the difference.
Yes. Children and teenagers with possible psychosis need prompt assessment by a specialist team for young people. Parents or carers are usually involved.
New symptoms after childbirth need assessment within hours. New symptoms in later life need careful medical checks.
You can ask through the contact page. Fees are listed on the services page. Online care has limits. Emergencies and some tests need in-person care. Check the clinician, the format, the fee, and whether the service fits your needs.