While schizophrenia isn’t a thought disorder, thought disorders are major components of schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a complex mental health condition that looks different from person to person. Thought disorders are problems with the formation or content of thoughts. They may involve patterns of disorganized thought and communication, false beliefs, or antisocial thoughts and behavior. People who don’t have schizophrenia may experience thought disorders — for instance, if they have a traumatic brain injury (TBI) or severe depression.
With proper treatment and the support of family and friends, people can manage thought disorders and schizophrenia effectively. Symptoms of schizophrenia often show up gradually and increase over time. By recognizing thought disorders and other symptoms of schizophrenia in someone you love and helping them seek treatment, you can improve their chances of achieving the best outcomes.
In this blog post, we’ll discuss what schizophrenia is, what symptom presentations may look like, and how it’s different from thought disorders.
Is schizophrenia a thought disorder?
Schizophrenia is not a thought disorder in itself. Thought disorders are sometimes symptoms of schizophrenia. There are many different types of thought disorders, and they can be symptoms of other conditions besides schizophrenia or they can occur on their own. The causes aren’t always clear, and people may only experience them occasionally.
Some of the hallmark characteristics of schizophrenia are emotional blunting or flat affect, disorganized thinking, hallucinations or delusions, speaking in monotone, and social withdrawal. People who have schizophrenia may have difficulty taking care of themselves, show unusual behavior, behave in ways that aren’t socially appropriate, or lose interest in their usual activities. People may not experience all of these symptoms, or they might look slightly different.
The exact causes of schizophrenia aren’t clear, but there seems to be genetic, neurological and environmental factors that contribute. Experiencing things like stress, malnutrition and exposure to toxins early in life and taking mind-altering drugs may increase a person’s chances of developing schizophrenia.
What thought disorders are associated with schizophrenia?
The two main types of thought disorders are formal thought disorders and content thought disorders. In formal thought disorders, people have difficulty forming clear and organized thoughts. In content thought disorders, they may believe things that aren’t true, have few original thoughts or too many thoughts at one time, or they might have other types of erroneous thought. Both types of thought disorders can be present in people who have schizophrenia.
The following are some examples of thought disorders that can affect a person who has schizophrenia:
- Alogia — Speaking in only brief, minimal responses when spoken to
- Blocking — Stopping in the middle of a thought or sentence and sometimes talking about something else after an extended pause
- Derailment — Abruptly jumping from one loosely related idea to another
- Echolalia — Repeating noises and words that they hear instead of responding with original thoughts
- Delusion —A closely held yet false belief that’s not shared by others
- Paranoid ideation — Extreme suspicion or belief that others are out to get a person in some way
- Poverty of thought — Expressing very few thoughts and ideas
What other symptoms are associated with schizophrenia?
Some common symptoms of schizophrenia don’t fall into the category of thought disorder. They are sometimes divided into positive and negative symptoms. This doesn’t mean they’re good or bad, but rather symptoms and behaviors that are present or absent. Hallucinations, delusions and disorganized behavior, for example, are positive symptoms. Emotional blunting, anhedonia and social withdrawal are negative symptoms.
Other symptoms of schizophrenia include:
- Emotional blunting — Showing little or no emotion
- Hallucinations — Feeling, seeing or hearing things that aren’t there
- Disorganized or unusual behavior — Moving or acting in ways that aren’t appropriate for the situation
- Anhedonia — A lack of interest or pleasure
- Social withdrawal — Not staying in contact with others or responding to calls and messages
- Neglecting activities of daily living — Not bathing, dressing or taking care of oneself effectively
- Speaking in monotone — Speaking without inflection or variance in tone
How can I help a loved one who has schizophrenia or a thought disorder?
People who have schizophrenia and thought disorders need mental health treatment and specialized support, but they may not be aware of their condition. You can’t force someone to seek treatment, but talking to them about your concerns may be helpful. You can offer your support and help them seek treatment if they’re open to it. The first step is scheduling an assessment.
At Lightfully, we provide whole-person-centered treatment for people who have complex conditions like schizophrenia. This means we treat our clients like people first, not a diagnosis or a list of symptoms. We encourage our clients to involve their families in their treatment process and include family therapy sessions at each level of treatment.
Are you concerned about a loved one who’s showing signs of a thought disorder or schizophrenia? Please contact us. We can talk through what you’re noticing and help you determine what to do next. Reach out to our Admissions Concierge Team if you’re ready to get started.
