The symptoms of Schizophrenia may vary depending on the individual and they usually include:

• Delusion
• Hallucinations and illusions
• Disordered thinking
• Disordered behavior
• Flat affect- lack of emotional expression
• Agitation
• Inappropriate reactions
• Phobia
• Lack of pleasure or interest in activities
• Lack of motivation to do anything
• Decreased speech output

Common symptoms and their severity as reported by people on Patientslikeme.

There are many factors that normally contribute to the onset of schizophrenia

• The actual causes of schizophrenia are not fully understood.
• Brain chemistry:
• Abnormal functioning of neurotransmitters such as dopamine can cause schizophrenia.
• Heredity:
• Schizophrenia tends to run in families. If a parent has the disorder, the offsprings are susceptible to the disease.
• Abnormality in the brain:
• Abnormalities such as shrinkage in brain, or circuitry dysfunction can cause schizophrenia.
• Complications during pregnancy and birth:
• Chances of a child getting Schizophrenia are increased by infection or malnutrition during pregnancy and complications during birth such as brain injury.

There are no definite preventive measures. However, early identification and treatment helps to control the symptoms.