Withdrawn

Sufferers of paranoid schizophrenia can have periods of time where they become withdrawn as they try to make sense of, and deal with what is happening. It is common for them to close the curtains for instance during the day to stop "them" (inexplicable people or alien entities) looking in or spying on them.

Inexpressive

A sufferer of paranoid schizophrenia will often appear inexpressive with blank looks. They seem to have no interest in the world or people around them and often have no interest in socialising or being with others. Their speech may be monotone and simple with no real context.

Internal war

A sufferer of paranoid schizophrenia will often hear voices in their head, a person or people that they might refer to as "them" or "they". What they hear is often irrational with no basis in reality resulting in the sufferer arguing with "them" out loud as they try to reason with the voice. 'They're mad', 'you're mad' are two examples and this is sometimes accompanied by uncontrollable laughter.

Hallucinating

Hallucinations and delusions are the most commonly recognisable signs of schizophrenia and are the traits that will usually lead to treatment being sought. However these are not necessarily the most important or concerning characteristics or symptoms.

Lonely

Sufferers of paranoid schizophrenia can often feel isolated and alone, it is a time for friends, family and carers to be there for them and listen impartially.

Disorganised

A sufferer of schizophrenia can become disorganised, not to be confused with "disorganised schizophrenia". The hallucinations start to dominate their day to day life and they find themselves being driven by outside and inexplicable forces. This can lead to them forgetting their normal routines for example; self hygiene, eating at normal times, visiting friends and family etc. They can also lack emotion or empathy to others by laughing at inappropriate times, displaying "silly" facial responses and lack of pleasure and motivation.

Self destruct

Depression, or feelings of extremely low mood, intense feelings of sadness with a loss of interest in life and reduced emotional well being are really important to recognise in a sufferer, particularly because they are more likely to be prevalent following a psychotic episode. Some experts believe that suicide by sufferers of schizophrenia is statistically more likely through the effects of depression than by the hallucinations or delusions.

Numb

Sufferers of paranoid schizophrenia are often left feeling unemotional and numb following an episode. Showing that you care can help reassure them that everything is ok and that you understand.

Stress

Sufferers of paranoid schizophrenia can feel highly stressed as they battle with their feelings of insecurity and negativity. This can be a hard time for friends, family and carers as the sufferer imagines that darker forces are out to get them.

Delusional

Sufferers of paranoid schizophrenia can sometimes be delusional as they feel like they are being told by outside forces to do things they may not really want to do. This is a time to listen and seek urgent specialist care. Whilst for impact this image suggests an individual might be driven to do bad things - I try to form a common picture of delusion in the viewers mind - this is not always the case, spending excessive amounts of money on eccentric gifts is just another example.