Schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder that belongs to the group of psychotic disorders, which are characterized by a distortion of perception of reality. This disease affects the thinking, perception, emotions, motivation and behavior of patients who suffer from it.
It is a chronic disease, which causes progressive deterioration, despite the fact that there are currently various treatments that improve your quality of life.
It usually manifests between the ages of 16 and 30, although the causes are not exactly known, and may be due to a combination of genetic and environmental factors that predispose to developing the disorder if the facilitating circumstances exist. It is estimated that this disease affects 0.7-1.5% of the population.
There is no unanimously accepted concept of schizophrenia, since it is not established what is truly essential in this disorder, what defines it and differentiates it from other pathologies. The old discussion about the existence of a disorder with different subtypes (Kraepelinian vision) or of different disorders that share some common characteristics (Bleulerian vision).
Kraepelin first defined the concept of schizophrenia as "Dementia praecox", which consisted of three subtypes: paranoid, catatonic and hebephrenic.
The name schizophrenia was coined by Bleuler, given that he realized that it was not a type of dementia, but rather a disease characterized by a predominance of the inner life over social life, a tendency to withdraw and emotional flattening.
These patients had a thinking pattern characterized by illogical and incoherent ideas and concepts. These symptoms were considered fundamental, being able to also present hallucinations, delusions, memory disturbances, and language disorders.
Bleuler, added two new forms of schizophrenia regarding the three subtypes of Kraepelin: the latent and the simple; defining for the first time the concept of simple schizophrenia, characterized only by the manifestation of the "fundamental symptoms".
The existence of such symptoms could actually be indicating the continuity of simple schizophrenia with other subtypes of schizophrenia, which would also constitute a continuum between them and would not always remain stable over time..
Schizophrenia can present different types of symptoms that are classified into three categories: positive, negative and cognitive.
The so-called positive symptoms are those that make them lose contact with reality, symptoms that distort thinking of the person.
Among the positive symptoms would be hallucinations, consisting of sensory experiences that originate within the brain rather than originate outside.
Hallucinations can occur through any sensory channel: auditory, visual, tactile, olfactory, or taste. They may, for example, hear voices (auditory hallucinations) that a healthy person in the same situation does not hear, or see things (visual hallucinations) that other people do not perceive.
They are also frequent delusional ideas, that they are false, persistent and constant beliefs, not shared with others, that for the patient are real even if there is evidence to the contrary. They may believe that they are being persecuted, that someone wants to hurt them, or that everything other people do is related to them.
Sometimes they may think that someone is stealing your thoughts or who is listening to them; may come to believe that their own thoughts are imposed or controlled by some outside agent.
The negative symptoms they consist of a distortion or absence of normal behaviors. They often lack energy and motivation, become very passive, even failing to groom themselves.
They lose their normal enthusiasm and interest in their surroundings, they tend to reduce their contacts with other people to a minimum, even with their closest friends and family. All this implies that they are unable to fulfill their obligations or lead a normal social life..
People with the disease lose the ability to experience pleasure and emotions, expressing them in a very limited way. They are indifferent at the emotional level, although circumstances of great importance occur in their life. They are often sulky, moody, and aggressive.
Depression, anxiety, constant worries, Lack of self-confidence or bad mood are some of the most frequent symptoms. Sometimes presenting suicidal ideations.
The cognitive symptoms they affect the thinking process, causing them problems using information, making decisions, and paying attention. His pattern of thinking is illogical, strange, and difficult to follow; lose the ability to associate ideas and jump from one topic to another without any connection.
This alteration affects the language, since it is impoverished in relation to its quality and content. They are not understood when they speak and often when they do, it is about irrational and strange topics that can become incomprehensible to others.
Memory and ability to concentrate in a focus of attention, task or activity, they can also be affected.
Simple schizophrenia is a subtype of schizophrenia that is only covered by the WHO and it is characterized by a progressive development of so-called "negative" symptoms, without a history of hallucinations, delusions or other manifestations of a past psychotic episode.
It is characterized by a deterioration of mental functions and emotional affect, with significant changes in personal behavior manifested with a marked loss of interest, laziness and social isolation.
They are people who show extravagant behavior, they are usually left, moody, irritable ... They withdraw into themselves, become inactive and lose their goals. This set of symptoms, suppose a significant deterioration of work and / or academic activity and performance in general.
Patients with simple schizophrenia, diagnosed based on the criteria described by Bleuler, present clinical pictures similar to other more typical forms of schizophrenia in terms of age of onset, previous social adjustment, and negative psychotic symptoms. However, the course of simple schizophrenia tends to be more chronic and even worse than that of other classic subtypes of schizophrenia.
The prevalence of this disorder is very low, perhaps due to the fact that these patients do not usually seek medical assistance or because they are diagnosed (incorrectly) with another disease.
Increase recognition of simple schizophrenia it would help to provide patients with adequate treatment, which could have a very positive impact on their prognosis.
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Río Diéguez, M. D. (2004). Artistic creation and mental illness. Complutense University of Madrid, Publications Service.
Serrano, J. M., Garrido, M. L. M., Sánchez, R. C., Onate, M. D. C., López-Mesa, J. L., & Matás, J. G. (2012). In defense of the diagnosis of simple schizophrenia: reflections on a case. Journal of Psychiatry and Mental Health, 5(1), 53-62.
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