Health Library
The Health Library is a collection of health and wellness resources created for learning and accessibility. Select a topic below for related health information or search for a topic in the search bar for more information on other medical conditions.
Schizophrenia
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What is schizophrenia? Schizophrenia is an illness that can affect your ability to think clearly, manage your emotions, and interact with others. It affects each person differently. The way other people react to schizophrenia can make a difference in how schizophrenia affects you. It can make it easier or harder...
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Covers how mental health problems can affect your relationships. Looks at the stigma of mental health problems. Offers ways to help others understand. Covers how to get help. Includes links to info on specific disorders like depression, OCD, or PTSD.
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You may be able to tell when someone is paranoid. The person may accuse others of trying to harm him or her or may look around fearfully. The person may talk about protecting himself or herself from attack. Here are ways to help the person who is...
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Here are ways to help your family member take the medicines: Talk about medicines in a way that is meaningful to the person. For example, point out the reasons to take medication. Say, "Your medicines help quiet the voices you hear," or "Your...
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While most people with schizophrenia are not violent, violence is one of the reasons someone who has schizophrenia may need hospitalization. It is a way to protect the person or those around him or her until the delusions or hallucinations often...
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A few disorders have some of the same symptoms as schizophrenia (schizophrenia spectrum disorders), including: Schizotypal personality disorder. A person with schizotypal personality disorder has a difficult time developing close relationships with other people and may hold beliefs not shared by other...
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A relapse can happen when you have schizophrenia. In a relapse, your symptoms return and may be so severe that they cause a psychotic episode. This means you can't tell the difference between what is real and what isn't real. A relapse or a...
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Social skills training helps you get along better with other people in daily life, at work, and in social situations. These classes also help you develop skills for your personal relationships. Class topics may include: What is right and wrong...
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A hallucination is a perception of something that is not really there. It can involve sight, hearing, taste, smell, and/or touch. For example, you may hear voices that nobody else hears or see something that nobody else sees. You probably will know...
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People who have schizophrenia sometimes have to spend time in the hospital. This can be because of severe symptoms or for other reasons. You may have to go to the hospital if you: Are having a psychotic episode. This means you can't tell the difference between what is real and what is not real. Talk about suicide or...
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As a family member or close friend, you may help take care of your loved one who has schizophrenia. You can help your loved one stay in treatment, take his or her medicines, and prevent symptoms from coming back ( relapse). Along the way, be sure to take care of yourself too. It can be hard to watch a family...
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People with schizophrenia have goals and desires just like people who do not have the illness. These may include starting a family. You can have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby if you have schizophrenia. But there are some things to know. You will want people to help you during your pregnancy and when you are...
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Some symptoms of schizophrenia can be hard to treat, such as finding little or no pleasure in life and feeling no emotions. Medicines don't always work well for these symptoms. You may find these symptoms hard to deal with, because they often are long-lasting and may make your loved one appear to be concerned only about...