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Related terms:
Capgras syndrome
Psychotic Disorder
paranoia
Mental or Behavioral Dysfunction
schizophrenia Audio
schiz·o·phre·ni·a [ skit-suh-free-nee-uh, -freen-yuh ]
Subclass of:
Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders
Etymology:
Greek schizein = to split + ohren = mind + -ia = condition
Definitions related to schizophrenia:
  • A group of severe mental disorders in which a person has trouble telling the difference between real and unreal experiences, thinking logically, having normal emotional responses to others, and behaving normally in social situations. Symptoms include seeing, hearing, feeling things that are not there, having false ideas about what is taking place or who one is, nonsense speech, unusual behavior, lack of emotion, and social withdrawal.
    NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms
    U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
  • A major psychotic disorder characterized by abnormalities in the perception or expression of reality. It affects the cognitive and psychomotor functions. Common clinical signs and symptoms include delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thinking, and retreat from reality.
    NCI
    U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
  • A mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking. It is accompanied by significant social or occupational dysfunction. The onset of symptoms typically occurs in young adulthood, with a global lifetime prevalence of about 1%. This term is not a helpful parent term to describe abnormal experiences.
    Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO)
    The Human Phenotype Ontology Project, 2025
  • A severe emotional disorder of psychotic depth characteristically marked by a retreat from reality with delusion formation, HALLUCINATIONS, emotional disharmony, and regressive behavior.
    NLM Medical Subject Headings
    U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2025
  • Class of psychoses with disturbance mainly of cognition (content and form of thought, perception, sense of self versus external world, volition) and psychomotor function, rather than affect.
    CRISP Thesaurus
    National Institutes of Health, 2006
  • Schizophrenia is a serious brain illness. People who have it may hear voices that aren't there. They may think other people are trying to hurt them. Sometimes they don't make sense when they talk. The disorder makes it hard for them to keep a job or take care of themselves. Symptoms of schizophrenia usually start between ages 16 and 30. Men often develop symptoms at a younger age than women. People usually do not get schizophrenia after age 45. There are three types of symptoms: Psychotic symptoms distort a person's thinking. These include hallucinations (hearing or seeing things that are not there), delusions (beliefs that are not true), trouble organizing thoughts, and strange movements.; "Negative" symptoms make it difficult to show emotions and to function normally. A person may seem depressed and withdrawn.; Cognitive symptoms affect the thought process. These include trouble using information, making decisions, and paying attention. No one is sure what causes schizophrenia. Your genes, environment, and brain chemistry may play a role. There is no cure. Medicine can help control many of the symptoms. You may need to try different medicines to see which works best. You should stay on your medicine for as long as your doctor recommends. Additional treatments can help you deal with your illness from day to day. These include therapy, family education, rehabilitation, and skills training. NIH: National Institute of Mental Health
    MedlinePlus
    U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2025
  • Schizophrenia is characterized by psychosis (loss of contact with reality), hallucinations (false perceptions), delusions (false beliefs), disorganized speech and behavior, flattened affect (restricted range of emotions), cognitive deficits (impaired reasoning and problem solving), and occupational and social dysfunction. The cause is...
    Merck Manuals
    Merck & Co., Inc., 2025
  • Schizophrenia is a brain disorder that probably comprises several separate illnesses. The hallmark symptom of schizophrenia is psychosis, such as experiencing auditory hallucinations (voices) and delusions (fixed false beliefs).
    Medscape
    WebMD, 2025
  • Schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder in which people interpret reality abnormally. Schizophrenia may result in some combination of hallucinations, delusions, and extremely disordered thinking and behavior that impairs daily functioning, and can be disabling.
    Mayo Clinic
    Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 2025
  • Schizophrenia is an illness characterized by a co-occurrence of at least two of the following symptoms: delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, disorganized/catatonic behavior, or negative symptoms (e.g., affective flattening, avolition, anhedonia, attention deficit, or impoverishment of speech and language) occurring for a...
    Epocrates
    Athenahealth, Inc., 2019
  • Schizophrenia, any of a group of severe mental disorders that have in common symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, blunted emotions, disordered thinking, and a withdrawal from reality. Persons affected by schizophrenia display a wide array of symptoms. In the past, depending on the specific...
    Encyclopedia Britannica
    Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 2025
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