How to recognize schizophrenia by behavior?

Modern medicine is unable to cure this disease. This is due to the fact that to this day the mechanism of its development is still shrouded in mystery, even the factors that provoke the appearance of symptoms of schizophrenia in the presence of a hereditary predisposition remain a mystery. There is practically no connection with age, gender and external influences, the disease can manifest out of the blue, and half of the children in whom both parents are sick (one can imagine the microclimate of such a family, which in itself is a constant stressor), remain completely healthy.

Since the 60s of the last century, thanks to the discovery of antipsychotics, the vast majority of patients have been able to slow down the development of negative symptoms, and in about 30-40% of cases, achieve a long-term and even permanent remission (subject to medical supervision and maintenance drug therapy). However, the patient does not fully recover, since the withdrawal of psychotropic drugs is always fraught with exacerbations - the specific behavior of schizophrenia resumes, regardless of the duration of medication. [1], [2]

Behavioral features of schizophrenics are determined by the scenario of the development of the disease. All mental pathologies are manifested by reverse development, degradation of any personality trait. In schizophrenia, the whole personality is split into separate fragments that lose their relationship with each other (the very name of the disease speaks of a splitting of the mind). And only then the regression of the formed parts begins, and sometimes uneven, and there are behavioral features associated with the degradation of individual fragments of the personality. [3]

The first signs of schizophrenia in women and men, behavior

In most cases, the debut of the disease occurs in the adult young population, and males fall ill several years earlier than females. [4]

There are no behavioral abnormalities prior to the onset of the disease that would predict the development of schizophrenia in the future. Before the appearance of obvious signs of mental pathology, some features can be observed in human behavior - isolation, craving for loneliness, hypertrophied commitment to certain activities, fruitless reasoning, careless attitude to learning, appearance. However, these manifestations do not have the severity of schizophrenia spectrum disorders and are common to many people who will never develop schizophrenia. Until there are pronounced symptoms of the disease, unfortunately, no one, even the most experienced psychiatrist, can predict its development only by the presence of some oddities.

The behavior of adult patients does not have clear gender and age differences, except that in children it has some features. Since the disease manifests itself more often at a young age, the first signs often coincide with a puberty crisis, which is characterized by a desire for independence and the rejection of authorities associated with it, the search for the meaning of life and passion for various philosophical teachings, so the onset of the disease is quite possible to "view". Only acute and too obvious psychoses attract attention. If the disease progresses slowly and gradually, then it is sometimes possible to suspect it quite late.

However, some signs can be caught. The essence of the disease is the splitting of the mind, that is, the loss of mutual connections between individual personal characteristics with the complete preservation of intelligence, memory and skills, especially at the onset of the disease. In schizophrenics, feelings and emotions manifest themselves independently of external stimuli, are in no way connected with the current situation or subjective interests, the same thing happens with thinking and other types of brain activity. All functions are preserved - a person thinks, speaks, listens, laughs or cries something, however, there is no mutual correspondence of these actions, from the point of view of a healthy person. Moreover, strange behavior, especially in the initial stages of the development of the disease, is noticed only by people who know the patient well, outsiders may simply consider him eccentric. [5]

Specialists in the diagnosis of early schizophrenia try to identify disorders caused by difficult interpretation of signals coming from outside. The patient catches them, however, his perception is fragmented and the combination of auditory, visual, tactile sensations and movements from the external environment cease to be understandable to him. The patient's complex perception disappears, forcing him to assimilate in a new way in the surrounding reality, which reflects his facial expressions, speech and actions that are not adequate to the current situation.

Behavioral changes occur as a reaction to the loss of the ability to link together incoming information and interpret it, with the appearance of hallucinations and delusions, other productive symptoms. This forces the schizophrenic to go beyond the usual patterns of communication, activities and changes his behavior, which, in general, is a factor that attracts attention in the absence of symptoms of acute psychosis. [6]

The construction of speech in schizophrenics is correct for a long time, although pretentiousness and word creation can be observed. Among all patients with mental illness, schizophrenics lose their communication skills last, although over time their vocabulary becomes impoverished.

Symptoms of neuralgia (tics, muscle twitches, impaired coordination of movements), characteristic of many mental illnesses, are practically not found in schizophrenia. But the movements of the body become more pretentious over time, acquire unnaturalness, since the ability to move naturally is lost.

The most common behavioral deviations in patients with schizophrenia are associated with delusions - relationships, influence, persecution, the content of which determines the characteristics of behavior.

A patient suffering from delusions of jealousy is usually too diligently interested in the pastime and contacts of his other half - he slowly examines the contents of the bag and pockets, notebooks and mobile phone, controls the time of returning home, can often “accidentally” pass by the place of work or study, looking there under different pretexts, arranges scandals and interrogations with passion.

The delusion of persecution is manifested in exaggerated caution, taking often absurd measures to ensure the safety of oneself and one's home. Going out into the street, the patient can study the yard for a long time from the window, fearing pursuers, constantly look around, change clothes for disguise. The windows of the house can be curtained at any time of the day. Fearing poisoning, a person checks food and drink, does not eat anything at a party or cooked by someone else's hands; afraid of germs and infection, he endlessly washes his hands, cleans dishes, boils everything and erases everything.

Often, hypertrophied adherents pay attention or rearrange dishes in a certain order, and so on. At the same time, his appearance may differ in negligence and untidiness, and the room does not always look tidy in the usual sense. Keep to order, and in small things, the patient all the time straightens chairs set aside by others, smoothes wrinkles on sofa capes, puts them in a neat pile on the table newspapers, stationery. [7]

The patient has a set of specific rituals dedicated to protecting himself from far-fetched danger or failure. They are becoming more and more complicated and a significant part of the time is spent on their implementation.

The following changes in the patient's behavior may indicate the appearance of delirium - secrecy, suspicion or aggression that has appeared in relationships with loved ones; conversations of fantastic or dubious content about a special mission, spying on him; unfounded self-accusations; significant incomprehensible allusions to future changes; manifestations of fear, obvious anxiety, expressing fears for one's life, confirmed by protective actions - checking food and drink, additional locks, carefully locking doors, windows, vents and even ventilation grilles; enthusiasm for truth-seeking, litigation without real reason, lively correspondence with the courts.

Auditory hallucinations in patients with schizophrenia in the form of imperative voices, voice dialogue - condemning and justifying the patient, feelings of imposed or stolen thoughts also affect behavior change. Patients with hallucinations usually listen to something with concern and anxiety, they can suddenly laugh or get upset, even cry, mumble something, and sometimes they are clearly engaged in dialogues with an invisible interlocutor. [8]

The behavior of a patient with schizophrenia does not correlate either with acquired life experience or with the current situation, and often with generally accepted norms. He lives in his delusional-hallucinatory world. Nevertheless, a certain logic, subject only to him, is present in statements and actions, and often it is a kind of comprehension and integration of facts that betrays a schizophrenic. For the most part, absolutely meaningless, from the standpoint of a normal person, the patient considers the actions the only correct ones, and it makes no sense to convince him. Most patients also consider themselves healthy and do not want to be treated, seeing in persuasion the machinations of ill-wishers. Close people are not recommended to argue and convince schizophrenics, put pressure on them, because this is impossible and can cause aggression.

By the way, after the start of treatment, most patients quickly become sane. And without treatment, the turn of the so-called negative symptoms comes. Increasing isolation in one's experiences, anxiety, dissociation from the outside world dulls emotions, since there is not enough external information for their production. This is accompanied by abulia - the loss of volitional impulses and motivation for the most elementary actions, and apathy. At the same time, schizophrenics are extremely sensitive to minor events, remarks, various trifles, but concerning them personally. In general, people with a sick psyche are usually deprived of altruism, they are only concerned about their own problems that appear in a far-fetched world.

External signs of schizophrenia

With an acute onset and severe psychosis, everything is very clear - a person needs psychiatric help, he will be placed in a hospital, treated and observed. Such cases are considered even prognostically more favorable.

When the disease develops without clear manifestations and psychosis is not yet noticeable, the behavior of a schizophrenic becomes completely incomprehensible to those around him and close from the point of view of normal logic. His anxiety, anxieties and fears are devoid of objective and visible reasons. Suspicion, likes and dislikes also have no real background. A schizophrenic can surprise by making unexpected decisions - quit his job and start doing creative work, making large and unnecessary purchases, giving away his things.

The main sign is a radical change in personality, and, as a rule, not for the better. A person loses his value system, which was created over the years and was inherent in him before the disease. Outwardly, it seems that he has no value system at all. Today he declares one thing and acts accordingly, tomorrow he may behave differently, and it is noticeable that his actions are caused by a fleeting mood that accidentally visited him with a thought. [9]

The reaction of close people to such behavioral excesses is rarely positive, they try to reason with the patient, because at the beginning of the disease they do not consider him as such. Naturally, it is impossible to convince a schizophrenic of anything. Encountering complete misunderstanding and knowing for sure that he is “doing the right thing”, the patient becomes more and more withdrawn into himself, showing hostility, first of all, to his immediate environment.

From the outside, schizophrenics seem very aloof, inaccessible, cold, uncommunicative and incomprehensible. Moreover, such an impression is created about them already in the initial stages of the disease or in low-progressive forms, when autistic changes and other severe symptoms have not yet begun to develop.

The patient's behavior does not yet attract attention with too ridiculous actions, he has logical thinking, however, he already feels himself and the world around him has changed, realizing this on a subjective level. A schizophrenic after the onset of the disease can no longer build his relationships with loved ones, work colleagues as before, he is confused, dissatisfied with himself. This leads to the fact that he withdraws into himself, tends to loneliness, because he cannot explain to himself the changes that have occurred to him. 

In most cases, in the initial stages, a new unusual state causes at least deep thoughtfulness, and often a depressive mood. For patients with schizophrenia, a lowered, depressed mood, sensual dullness - indifference, apathy, extreme hopelessness are more characteristic. This is reflected in facial expressions - the face of a schizophrenic is mainly described as frozen, empty, without expression (greasy face). Sometimes some slight grimace freezes on it. In the third stage, the expression of detachment no longer leaves the patient's face.

However, some patients are expressive. Again, diverse facial expressions are characteristic of the initial stages of the disease. The first manifestations are characterized by a high intensity of feelings and affects. The unusual coloring of the new world cannot leave a person indifferent, he sees everything in a new, unusual light, and his emotions fluctuate with significant amplitudes (which subsequently leads to emotional burnout).

The facial expressions and gestures of the patient correspond to his experiences and are no different from those of ordinary people, however, the degree of their expressiveness does not correspond to the current moment, it is ridiculous from the point of view of others who are unaware that the intensity of emotions is off scale. Joy in a schizophrenic overflows and turns into hyperexcitation, unusual delight is accompanied by euphoria, love is distinguished by ecstatic features and manifestations of unreasonable jealousy, sadness reaches extreme hopelessness and despair, fear is felt at the level of a panic attack. The accentuation is unusually strong, and the patient under the influence of hallucinatory-delusional states in the initial stages reveals an explosion of heterogeneous and often opposite feelings and moods - he often explodes and is rude to his relatives on nonsense occasions, immediately cooling down and falling into deep thought. [10]

Specific mechanisms of self-expression are triggered by complications, for example, in a state of catatonia, patients repeat monotonous actions, change their position all the time, mutter, move their lips, they may have a facial cramp, grimacing or complete stupor. These manifestations are very different from the norm.

In addition, recent studies have shown that it is almost impossible for a patient with schizophrenia to fix his eyes on one point for a long time, especially moving. Their gaze sometimes lags behind the object, sometimes overtakes it, but the patients are not able to follow with their eyes a uniformly and slowly moving object. [11]

The speech of a patient with schizophrenia is usually built correctly, from a formal point of view it is logically linked, and in a syntactic sense it depends on the level of education of the patient. A feature of verbal constructions is the constant jumping from one topic to another, unrelated to the previous one. In addition, the schizophrenic does not take into account the characteristics of the interlocutor - age, status, degree of closeness of acquaintance, which normal people pay attention to when communicating.

For example, the use of profanity in a conversation with women, parents, unfamiliar people, officials in society is not welcome. Most people, even those who know it delicately, do not use it in inappropriate cases, which cannot be said about patients. For them there are no obstacles and authorities.

The style of verbal communication with the boss and even employees when discussing work moments in normal people differs from the style of communicating with friends over a glass of beer. The topic of conversation also influences the idioms used. This concerns the norm; schizophrenics do not have such differentiation.

For example, having met a familiar elderly person on the street, the patient perfectly sees both his advanced age, and not fashionable worn clothes, and not always confident movements. However, like any normal person, it would never occur to a schizophrenic to offer to bring a heavy bag, transfer across the road, keep up the conversation about rising prices and a small pension, if only for the sake of quickly ending the conversation beautifully. The schizophrenic, on the other hand, will quickly seize the initiative of the conversation from the elderly interlocutor in such a way that his counterpart will no longer be able to insert even words into the conversation and will lead a conversation that is of interest only to him. Moreover, it will be problematic for an elderly person to get rid of the conversation.

If a schizophrenic is asked to compare any characteristics of several objects, in response, one can definitely hear diverse associations. Moreover, objects will be united according to very unexpected properties, while actually inherent in them, and the flow of associative views on the problem itself will be inexhaustible. This disease is characterized by a loss of the ability to distinguish between the main and secondary characteristics of objects. Expressing his thoughts, the patient will jump from one qualitative characteristic to another, from absolutely different spheres.

The interlocutor who caused the flow of reasoning in a sick person should not try to stop, interrupt, reason or argue with the sick person. Delicately, referring to employment, you need to try to get away from the discussion. These recommendations concern the safety of a healthy person. In a schizophrenic, all spheres of thinking and emotions are cut off from reality. Having entered the rage, he will inadequately respond to interference, any careless word can cause aggression.

The appearance of a schizophrenic is not too striking, especially in the initial stages. If a person is used to monitoring his appearance, then changes will not come immediately. However, close people may notice that he has become less and less brushing his teeth and / or taking a shower, wears the same things for a long time, already very stale and crumpled, that his facial expression has changed, reactions and behavior has become different and inexplicable. Naturally, in more severe cases, insanity is striking, however, it is impossible to determine a schizophrenic only by appearance. People with any mental pathologies are inadequate, they can put on a strange set of things that are inappropriate for each other, season or occupation, they can drastically change the color scheme in clothes. Just a schizophrenic can be perceived for a long time as a person with some oddities, explaining them by stress, overwork, and a recent illness. This idea, by the way, is often supported by the patients themselves, who usually do not consider that they need psychiatric help. [12]

Sex and age characteristics of behavior in schizophrenia

There are no significant differences in behavior among schizophrenics of different sexes, because the disease is the same. Rather, new qualitative features that have appeared in the patient and are considered in the spectrum of traditional ideas about male and female roles in the family and society become noticeable.

Behavior in men with schizophrenia changes and quite significantly. Basically, family members first notice something is wrong, when a caring and loving son or husband (father) becomes cold and indifferent to loved ones, can kick his beloved dog, make an unreasonable scandal, and the next day shower everyone with gifts and show unnaturally hot affection. Nevertheless, basically, the schizophrenic will remain deaf to the pressing problems of the family, not wanting to participate in their solution, but at the same time he can engage in some kind of activity, and obviously fruitless, to which he will devote all his free time.

Previously active and active, now he cannot be persuaded to do homework, at work there is also a loss of interest, a decrease in working capacity. Patients often quit work, study, previously favorite hobbies. Schizophrenics lead a rather closed life, gradually ceasing to be interested in many things, however, they may have new hobbies to which they will devote themselves completely. It can be invention, creative activity, philosophical research, usually of no value. On topics of interest to the schizophrenic, he, perking up, can speak tirelessly, or rather, he quickly reduces any conversation to the fact that he “catches” him, jumping from one topic to another, not allowing the interlocutor to insert even a word, making conclusions that are illogical from a normal point of view.. [13]

Unfortunately, schizophrenics are prone to alcoholism and drug use. Substance abuse worsens the course of the disease, makes the prognosis for a cure less favorable, and increases the likelihood of suicide.

A man stops caring for himself, stops shaving, washing, changing clothes. The mood of schizophrenics is often depressed, apathy can be replaced by bouts of aggression, especially if they try to set him on the right path, stir him up, and convince him.

It is impossible to give recommendations on how to recognize a schizophrenic male, it is only possible to suspect a disease due to inadequate behavior and organize a qualified psychiatric consultation as soon as possible. Even an experienced doctor will not be able to diagnose schizophrenia at the first meeting without monitoring the patient.

Behavior in women with schizophrenia is subject to the same laws of the development of the disease. A woman withdraws into herself, becomes indifferent to her family, home life. Some insignificant trifle can piss her off, she can throw a tantrum over a broken cup and react indifferently to the message about her mother’s serious illness and even her death.

The unwillingness to take care of themselves, the lack of interest in their appearance is not typical for women at all, therefore such changes in behavior indicate trouble, although they are not necessarily symptoms of schizophrenia. [14]

A woman may have unusual hobbies, they are also able to fruitlessly talk for a long time on topics that concern them, and pseudohallucinations that excite patients with schizophrenia are voices heard in the head and giving commands; neighbors watching her on the orders of aliens or using her thoughts with a reader built into an electrical outlet.

Wrong eating behavior is more typical for women, the same applies to dissatisfaction with their appearance, certain parts of the body, sensations of bizarre symptoms (brains moving, bugs crawling down the esophagus). Patients have peculiar reasoning and conclusions, unstable mood, hysteria, resentment - behavior can change in different ways.

How to recognize a schizophrenic woman? By the changed behavior, and not to recognize, but to assume that she is sick, and how quickly she will be helped, will depend on how her future life will turn out.

With the age at which the symptoms of schizophrenia first appeared, some, although not at all mandatory, features of its course and treatment prognosis are associated - the later, the easier the disease proceeds and the less destructive its consequences. The most unfavorable prognosis for hereditary congenital schizophrenia, although such a diagnosis can be made to a child from the age of seven. [15]

Preschool children may also have delusions and hallucinations, and even infants have been suspected of having them, but it is not yet possible to establish this with certainty. The behavior of a child with schizophrenia differs from that of healthy children. In the youngest, this can be suspected by the presence of fears - the child is afraid of any color, any toy, with coldness and apprehension even treats the most important key figure - his own mother. Later, when the child's social life is activated, obsession, aggressiveness, indifference, lack of desire to play with peers, interest in walking, swings and other favorite children's entertainment begins to appear.

When a child begins to talk, it can be established that he hears voices, answers them, listens, can tell his parents or older children about it. Affective swings, endless whims and fears, chaotic speech, inadequate reactions may indicate the development of schizophrenia in a child. If parents notice such behaviors, it is recommended to keep a diary of observations with a detailed description of unusual behavior, then psychiatric consultation will be more effective.

Behavior in schizophrenia in adolescents is characterized by high emotional stress. Little schizophrenics become difficult to manage, show a tendency to run away from home, use psychoactive substances. Even previously diligent students appear to have obvious difficulties with memorization, attention is scattered, they begin to lag behind in their studies, give up their previously favorite sports or music, close in isolation, some are prone to unchildish sophistication, philosophizing. Adolescents lose interest in communicating with peers, relationships with former friends are broken, and the patient is not able to build new ones. Adolescents become touchy, it seems to them that everyone is discussing them, they, like adults, stop taking care of themselves, do not fulfill their household chores. The consequences of hallucinations and delusions are increased suspicion, hostility, imbalance. Childhood and adolescent schizophrenia usually develops rapidly and has a poor prognosis. [16]

In old age, schizophrenia rarely develops and progresses slowly. Older women live longer than men, so cases of the disease are more frequent among them. Sometimes in old age there is an exacerbation of schizophreniform psychosis, which manifested itself in young years, and as a result of successful treatment, did not manifest itself for a long time. It is not easy to recognize that mental illness is precisely senile schizophrenia, it can be confused with dementia, neurotic disorders, Alzheimer's disease.

Signs of schizophrenia in older women, as well as at an earlier age, indicate the presence of hallucinatory-delusional symptoms. Behavior changes to inadequate, the patient becomes apathetic, slovenly, ceases to be interested in children and grandchildren, sometimes frankly does not want to communicate with them. Basically, the range of vital interests is limited to food and sleep, the patient chooses voluntary isolation, stops going for walks, chatting with friends, watching her favorite TV shows.

Among persons with especially dangerous criminal behavior, for example, serial killers, there are not many schizophrenics, among professional criminals - too. They are generally not dangerous. This is explained, first of all, by their predisposition to stupefaction, loneliness, fencing off from the outside world. [17]

Types of schizophrenia

According to the predominant behavioral features of schizophrenics, various types of illness are also distinguished, although such a division does not affect the methods of treatment, and modern psychiatry is going to abandon this classification.

The most common is paranoid schizophrenia, manifesting in adults. Has a continuous flow, develops gradually, personal changes occur slowly. The most pronounced symptoms are persistent paranoid delusions of relationship, influence, or influence.

Paranoid schizophrenics are sure, for example, that they are being watched everywhere, keeping an eye on them, therefore, everyone is only busy discussing the behavior and life of the patient, and in most cases he suspects a disrespectful attitude towards himself. The patient can "see" himself being followed, he is sure that they want to kill him, they read his thoughts, he begins to suspect the participation of his acquaintances, neighbors, to be afraid of them, to interpret the words they said in their own way.

Pseudohallucinations are inherent in this species - voices, alien, ordering or discussing something, previously not characteristic, but as if embedded from the outside, heard by inner hearing. The most unfavorable are imperative voices, by order of which patients can perform life-threatening acts. Over time, a syndrome of mental automatism is formed, orders and internal dialogues determine the behavior of a schizophrenic. He becomes indifferent, detached or anxious and worried, less often he can be joyfully excited in anticipation of his great mission with an elevated mood background that does not decrease even when there are real reasons for this; tachypsychia - an acceleration of the pace of thinking (the patient becomes just a generator of ideas); hyperbulia - increased activity (motor, incentive, especially in terms of obtaining pleasure, multifaceted and fruitless activities). Mania is an additional symptom, most characteristic of women. [18]

The intensity and severity of each of the symptoms may vary, moreover, schizophrenics usually have complex manic-paranoid disorders in combination, for example, with delusions of persecution or relationships, delusions of their own exclusivity. Behavioral deviations will manifest accordingly.

Oneiroid mania may develop in combination with vivid hallucinations. Manic states refer to mood disorders, that is, affect, under the influence of which the need for rest decreases in patients, a lot of unrealistic plans and ideas appear, they develop vigorous activity in many directions. Mania is not always associated with a joyful mood, often hyperactivity of thinking and motor skills is accompanied by a decrease in mood, increased irritability, aggressiveness and anger. Patients can indulge in all serious, arranging a sexual marathon, addicted to drugs or alcohol.

Paranoid schizophrenia is usually recognized quickly, because in most cases the delusions are unrealistic and ridiculous. However, when the nature of the delusion is plausible, for example, delusions of jealousy or persecution, for example, by business competitors, and schizophrenics are very convincing, because they themselves are convinced of their fantasies, then for quite a long time others may not be aware of the disease.

The negative symptomatology at this form is expressed slightly.

Hereditary schizophrenia, manifesting in early childhood and adolescence, more often in males, is characterized by a severe progressive course and the rapid development of negative symptoms. The types of juvenile malignant schizophrenia include the following:

Catatonic - characterized by a predominance in the symptoms of diametrically opposed psychomotor disorders, usually occurring without clouding of consciousness (immobility is replaced by hyperkinesis). Waking up, the patient remembers and can tell about what happened around. The behavior is stuporous, periodic episodes of freezing are characteristic, for example, patients stand or sit, looking at one point. With this type of disease, oneiroid states can develop - the patient's behavior corresponds to the hallucinations in which he participates (waking dream). This form of schizophrenia is characterized by a rapid course - the third stage occurs within two to three years. [19]

Herbephrenic schizophrenia develops only in adolescence and early adolescence. The dominant behavioral signs are completely inappropriate antics and foolish behavior. Has a rapid development and poor prognosis due to the development of autistic disorder.

Simple schizophrenia develops without delusions and hallucinations; moreover, such children before illness usually do not cause any complaints from either parents or teachers. Changes in behavior appear suddenly and are expressed in a rapid increase in symptoms. For three to five years, patients develop a special schizophrenic defect, which consists in complete indifference to everything.

Behavior in sluggish schizophrenia (in the modern interpretation - schizotypal personality disorder) is closest to eccentricity, and now this disorder is not classified as true schizophrenia. In an acute state, delusions and hallucinations may occur, but they are unstable and mild. More often there are obsessions, strangeness in behavior, rituals, excessive thoroughness, egocentrism and detachment, hypochondria, dysmorphophobia are noticed. Imaginary complaints of patients are distinguished by extravagance, patients are embarrassed by certain parts of their bodies, and absolutely normal ones, they can hide them, they dream of redoing them. However, negative consequences in the form of deep emotional burnout, as well as social and professional maladjustment do not appear with the disorder. [20]

Nevertheless, behavior in latent schizophrenia changes at any age and in persons of any gender - it becomes not characteristic of a given person before, incomprehensible, ridiculous, stereotyped. It is very idiosyncratic. Schizophrenics, seized by some overvalued manic idea, have a special charisma and the ability to influence the broad masses, bribing with their sincere fanatical faith in it, they are very convincing and penetrating. Moreover, this applies to almost all areas of activity - often they become significant figures in politics and religion. Especially often manifest themselves in the opposition directions.

Their works of art are amazing, original, original, non-traditional, which reflects all their anxiety, excitement, hallucinatory-delusional impressions they experience.

And in everyday life, schizophrenics are distinguished by selfishness and orientation only to their own interests. They do not obey traditions and conventions, they are prone to protest and never make concessions.