Symptoms of psychosis develop as the illness progresses. The person starts to act strangely and talk without making sense. People with schizophrenia may develop paranoid delusions that could include anything from hearing voices to seeing, feeling or smelling things that are not really there. They may have unusual movements, and may stand or sit in strange positions. Some people become almost motionless while others move around constantly. The severity of symptoms will vary from one person to another. The symptoms also tend to fluctuate. When the symptoms are improved, the person may appear to behave relatively normally, but usually there will be repeated episodes of the illness that will cause symptoms to reappear. They may have trouble dealing with the most minor everyday stresses and insignificant changes in their surroundings. They may avoid social contact, ignore personal hygiene and behave oddly (NIMH, 1999). People with schizophrenia often experience both "positive" symptoms (psychological disturbances "added" as a result of the disorder, e.g. hallucinations) and "negative" symptoms (psychological capabilities the patient has "lost," e.g. initiative). .
In 1911, Eugen Bleuler, first used the word "schizophrenia." Although the word schizophrenia does come from the Greek words meaning "split" and "mind," schizophrenics do not have split personalities. This misunderstanding has caused many people to misuse the term schizophrenia. The "split mind" refers to the way that schizophrenics are split off from reality; schizophrenics cannot tell what is real and what is not real (Neuroscience for Kids, 2001). .
The physical attributes of the brain of a schizophrenic have shown some notable .
abnormalities from the normal brain. Studies using computerized tomography (CT) have .
found evidence of enlarged fluid-filled cavities, called the ventricles, in the interior of the .
brain, and decreased size of certain brain regions (NIMH, 1999).