Disorganized Symptoms of Schizophrenia
Disorganized Symptoms of Schizophrenia
Disorganized Symptoms of Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia can cause a decline in overall daily functioning. Disorganized symptoms tend to manifest in early onset Schizophrenia and can cause a person to have difficulties living independently. Patients experiencing disorganized symptoms may seem zoned out or distracted and they may have difficulties relating to others and completing tasks.
Disorganized symptoms fall into three main categories:
- Thought Disorders
- Disorganized Speech
- Bizarre Behaviors
Thought Disorders
Schizophrenia causes patients to have disorganized and confused thought processes. Patients can experience difficulties organizing their thoughts which can cause them to have troubles concentrating, following along, maintaining a steady train of thought, communicating, completing tasks, and making decisions.
Examples of Disorganized Thoughts:
- Distractibility – Losing track of what one is doing in response to a nearby stimulus
- Circumstantial Thinking – Inability to differentiate the essential from the unessential
- Tangential Thinking – Completely losing one’s train of thought
Disorganized Speech
Disorganized thoughts lead to disorganized speech. Schizophrenia patients often struggle to communicate. A patient’s words can come out jumbled, or they may ramble or respond to questions with unrelated answers. A patient’s disorganized speech may be mild or completely incoherent and incomprehensible.
Examples of Disorganized Speech:
- Loose Associations – Shifting topics frequently with no connection between topics.
- Derailment – Speech proceeds along a given path and then suddenly slips into a new direction.
- Neologisms – Using made up words only understood by the speaker.
- Perseveration – Repeating words, phrases, or sentences over and over again.
- Clanging – Talking in rhyme with no reason or meaning.
- Logorrhea – Incoherent, compulsive talking.
- Word Salad – Speaking with an unintelligible mix of random words and phrases.
- Graphorrhea – Writing with an unintelligible mixture of words and phrases.
- Thought Blocking – Abruptly stopping speech mid train of thought and then forgetting what one was talking about.
- Pressured Speech – Speaking at a fast, incomprehensible pace.
- Circumstantial Speech – An inability to answer a question without giving excessive, unnecessary detail.
- Tangential Speech – Talking past or around the point without returning to the original topic.
- Echolalia – Repeating noises and words heard rather than one’s own thoughts.
Bizarre Behaviors
Bizarre or inappropriate behaviors are often found in Schizophrenia. Patients may exhibit behaviors completely lacking purpose and demonstrate inappropriate emotional responses and conduct.
Examples of Bizarre Behaviors:
- Inappropriate Affect – Emotional responses that aren’t appropriate for the situation such as smiling or laughing at something sad.
- Lack of Impulse Control –
- Kleptomania
- Pyromania
- Intermittent Explosive Disorder
- Pathological Gambling
- Purposeless Behavior or Movements – Useless and excessive movements.
- Hand Waving
- Body Rocking
- Head Banging
- Inappropriate Hygiene or Appearance
- Not bathing or brushing teeth
- Wearing a heavy coat in July
- Inappropriate Conduct – Acting in an inappropriate manner for a given situation.
- Childlike Silliness
- Unpredictable Agitation
- Talking to Oneself
- Catatonia – A rigid posture and complete lack of response.