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Schizophrenia

IntroductionWhat Is Schizophrenia?



Schizophrenia is a serious illness that affects the brain and causes major problems with thinking, emotions, and behavior. Many people with schizophrenia hear or see things that are not really there, have strange beliefs that other people do not share, or speak and behave in a disorganized way that is hard for other people to understand.



People with schizophrenia also may have an unusual way of showing emotions; for example, they may laugh at something that is actually very sad or may not change their facial expression very much at all. All people with schizophrenia do not necessarily have the same symptoms. In fact, symptoms can vary so widely that many people in the mental health field think of schizophrenia as a group of mental disorders rather than just one.

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Science EncyclopediaSchizophreniaSchizophrenia - Introduction - What Is Schizophrenia?, How Do You Know If Someone Has Schizophrenia?