Paranoid schizophrenia, also known as hebephrenic schizophrenia, is one of the subtypes in which the patient exhibits symptoms such as delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized speech. What are some common symptoms and how does one get paranoid schizophrenia?

Symptoms

Paranoid schizophrenia is one of the most common subtypes, though people with this condition may not have a history of other psychotic episodes. The symptoms include delusions, false beliefs that don’t align with reality, as well as hallucinations.
Doctors diagnose people with paranoid schizophrenia have a low-functioning brain. There are effective treatments for paranoid schizophrenia, such as antipsychotic medication or therapy in combination with another medicine.
For more information about the symptoms and treatment for paranoid schizophrenia, watch this video from Lighthouse International, What Is Paranoid Schizophrenia?

Coming Off Medication

Schizophrenia is a mental illness in which someone’s perception of reality is impaired by hallucinations, delusions, or disorganized thinking. Roughly schizophrenia affects an estimated about 1% population. These people are often paranoid or delusional as well. Research has shown that withdrawal from antipsychotic medications can trigger schizophrenia in people who have it but do not know it.
Stopping the medication suddenly can produce withdrawal symptoms that mimic symptoms of psychosis, such as disorientation, hearing voices in one’s head, anxiety, and depression. There may also be extreme mood swings.
Treatment for this type of paranoid schizophrenia involves getting back on the medication slowly over time so that withdrawal does not occur. People who have paranoid schizophrenia are cured through cognitive behavioral therapy.
The doctor will monitor the patient, during withdrawal and will usually decrease their dosage gradually every two weeks until they stop taking their medication altogether. however, this method is still hazardous because there may be no warning signs of a relapse.
Patients must withdraw medication with the doctor’s consent. If patients stop using medicines suddenly, it causes serious issues.

What is paranoid schizophrenia?

It is a psychological condition in which a person hallucinates. Patients may believe they are being followed, spied on, poisoned, or conspired against. Other symptoms include false beliefs about their own identity like extreme suspicion of others, hostility, or self-destructive behavior. If left untreated it can worsen to full-blown psychoses where the patient has difficulty distinguishing reality from delusion.

Treatment

The treatments include antipsychotic medications and therapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy helps teach patients how to manage paranoia by questioning unrealistic thoughts. Behavioral therapy teaches patients how to identify negative thoughts and gradually replace them with more positive ones.

Conclusion

It can be difficult to properly identify the symptoms. But if you know what they are, and if you have your eyes open for them, you can take steps now to get the right help. If someone has one or more symptoms, it’s important to speak up about it.
You might not want this responsibility, but it’s also not something that you can live with for long. Either for the person experiencing these symptoms or for yourself.
You deserve a better life than that too.