Imagine hearing voices that no one else hears — and no one believes you. How would that feel? For many people, this is a daily reality. Yet, schizophrenia is often deeply misunderstood by society.

Schizophrenia affects how a person thinks, feels and behaves. Schizophrenia is a condition where our brain cannot distinguate between reality and imagination, which leads to distraction in our everyday life. Schizophrenia can be sometimes confusing, sometimes alarming. Psychiatrists believes schizophrenia arises from a combination of genetic, chemical and environmental factors.

Positive symptoms of schizophrenia:

These symptoms are often the most dramatic or noticeable and are added to normal functioning.

• Hallucinations

• Delusions

• Disorganized speech and thoughts

• Catatonic behavior

Negative symptoms of schizophrenia:

These symptoms often persist even when positive symptoms are managed and they greatly affect in daily life.

• Limited facial expressions

• Reduced verbal communication

• Lack of motivation

• Self isolation

Let’s debunk some common myths about schizophrenia:

• “Schizophrenia means split personality”, it is not a split personality rather people with schizophrenia experience disruptions in thinking and perception.

• “People with schizophrenia cannot live a normal life”, this is completely wrong. With proper treatment people with schizophrenia can live a happy life.

• “Schizophrenia is rare and mysterious”, itis not rare and mysterious. In fact 1 in 100 people worldwide live with schizophrenia yet the myths about schizophrenia make it feel like a rare condition.

Schizophrenia does not define a person’s potential or worth. Schizophrenia has stories of resilience – from professionals like Eyln Saks to everyday people, it reminds us that it is not a sentence to a life of despair but a challenge that can be managed with compassion, care and knowledge.

By embracing knowledge over fear and empathy over stigma, we can finally put schizophrenia in the light of truth, beyond the shadows of taboo.

References:

1.National Instituteof Mental Health.

“Schizophrenia.” NIMH.gov, https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/schizophrenia.

2.World Health Organization. “Schizophrenia.” WHO.int, https://www.who.int/news-room/fact- sheets/detail/schizophrenia.

3.Elyn Saks. “A Tale of Mental Illness— From the Inside.” TED

Talks, https://www.ted.com/talks/elyn_saks_a_tale_of_mental_illness_from_the_inside