As some of you know, River does have Schizophrenia. It will not be as severe for the story's purpose but that doesn't mean everyone's is not severe either.
Not everyone has the same symptoms and not everyone's case is the same. Some show more symptoms and are less severe while others have less symptoms and are more severe.
This is not to be romanticized and I will not let it either.
This is simply to bring light on a mental disorder. I have never seen someone actually take Schizophrenia seriously or they just brush it off when it is just as important to acknowledge as any other mental disorder.
I have done research since I want to be as educated on it as I can and I want to educate you guys too.
So please, if you must, take a minute to read the research.
Schizophrenia is actually more common than you think. Ages ranging from 14-60+ is most common and there are more than 200,000 cases per year.
It is a disorder that affects a person's ability to think, feel, and behave clearly. The exact cause of schizophrenia isn't known, but a combination of genetics, environment, and altered brain chemistry and structure may play a role.
Treatment can help, but this condition can't be cured.
Chronic: can last for years or be lifelong.
Requires a medical diagnosis.
Schizophrenia is characterized by thoughts or experiences that seem out of touch with reality, disorganized speech or behavior, and decreased participation in daily activities. Difficulty with concentration and memory may also be present.
Some behavior symptoms to look out for may include; Social isolation, disorganized behavior, aggression, agitation, compulsive behavior, excitability, hostility, repetitive movements, self-harm, or lack of restraint.
Cognitive symptoms include; Thought disorder, delusion, amnesia, belief that an ordinary event has special and personal meaning, belief that thoughts aren't one's own, disorientation, mental confusion, slowness in activity, or false belief of superiority.
Mood symptoms include; Anger, anxiety, apathy, feeling detached from self, general discontent, loss of interest or pleasure in activities, elevated mood, or inappropriate emotional response.
Psychological symptoms include; Hallucination, paranoia, hearing voices, depression, fear, persecutory delusion, or religious delusion.
Speech symptoms include; Circumstantial speech, incoherent speech, rapid and frenzied speaking, or speech disorder.
Other common symptoms include; Fatigue, impaired motor coordination, lack of emotional response, or memory loss.
There is also two types of symptoms. Positive and Negative symptoms.
Negative symptoms reduce feelings or behaviors that are usually present such as: Lack of emotion and avoiding family and friends. Loss of interest in or ability to do daily tasks. Difficulty with speech or carrying on a conversation.
Positive symptoms add feelings and behaviors that are usually not present, such as: Delusions, like believing you have special powers or someone is out to get you. Hallucinations, like hearing, seeing, feeling, or smelling things that others do not experience. Disorganized thinking, speech, and behavior.
Remember, not everyone has these symptoms and not everyone has all of them, so please, bear with me.
Things to also look out for when someone has Schizophrenia, is episodes.
An episode can be an uncertain time for someone living with schizophrenia. It is defined as a relapse of symptoms after a person has received a diagnosis and has been feeling better for a period of time on treatment.
The sooner your realize it's coming, the easier it is to get treated. Some things to look out for are: Not sleeping as well, feeling stressed or afraid, having a hard time concentrating, feeling annoyed or short tempered for no reason, lacking energy or feeling tired all the time, losing interest in daily activities, feeling confused, experiencing delusions or hallucinations more frequently.
Even though it is not curable, treatment options are still available, such as Medicine and different types of therapy groups.
Usually when you are diagnosed earlier on when you start to show symptoms, it's better in the long run but that's not always the case.
So with that being said, if there is anymore you believe I should know or we should know, please feel free to share.
If something is not as accurate as it should be in the story, i'm sorry, i'm trying my best.