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6 Misconceptions About Schizophrenia

misconceptions about schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a rare brain condition, impacting less than 1% of the population.1 While the most well-known symptoms are hallucinations and delusions, it is also characterized by difficulty thinking, lack of motivation, and sometimes disorganized speech. Like most mental health conditions, schizophrenia tends to exist on a spectrum and it looks different for each individual. Unfortunately, because of the way schizophrenia is often portrayed in the media, many people have misconceptions about what schizophrenia is and how it affects those who live with it. It’s important to learn the truth behind those misconceptions so you can have a fuller understanding of schizophrenia.Let’s talk about some of the most common misconceptions in this blog.

Misconception #1: Schizophrenia Means Having “Multiple Personalities”

In TV and movies, you might see a character referred to as schizophrenic who is then shown to have multiple personalities. In reality, this is not a symptom of schizophrenia at all. Multiple personalities is instead the characteristic symptom of dissociative identity disorder (DID), in which individuals develop alternate personalities often as a trauma response. DID is a separate disorder from schizophrenia.

With schizophrenia, you don’t have any division of personalities but rather experience frequent delusions or hallucinations.

  • Delusions are falsely held beliefs that feel intensely real, regardless of any lack of evidence. For instance, the feeling that you are being attacked when you’re not.
  • Hallucinations are sensory projections of things that aren’t there. In schizophrenia, hallucinations are typically visual or sensory, but they can also be smell, touch, or taste.

Misconception #2: People With Schizophrenia Are Aggressive or Violent

This is a particularly dangerous misconception about schizophrenia. Because of media portrayals and misinformation, many people believe that those with schizophrenia are unusually aggressive or violent. But research indicates that this misconception has no basis in reality. Studies have shown that, while some with schizophrenia have developed violent behavior, this behavior was often attributed to other factors — such as poverty, unsafe neighborhoods, or a history of physical abuse as a child — that are also present with those who don’t have schizophrenia but lash out violently.2 In fact, the opposite has been found to be true: individuals with schizophrenia are up to 14 times more likely to be victims of violence.3 Some of this may be attributed to the very misconception that schizophrenic patients are violent. When people believe that someone is a threat and has no control of themselves, they are more likely to respond with violence themselves.

Misconception #3: Schizophrenia Cannot Be Effectively Treated

Schizophrenia is a chronic mental illness, meaning it likely won’t go away with time. But this does not mean that it’s hopeless or can’t be treated. Just like other mental illnesses or illnesses in general, schizophrenia is studied carefully by health care professionals and there are a number of treatment options. Patients with schizophrenia can take antipsychotic medication to manage their symptoms, as well as going to therapy.

Factors like stress can trigger a schizophrenic episode. Therapy can help you to manage stress, cope with your symptoms, and meet your goals for your life worth living. Many people with schizophrenia receive effective mental health treatment and live fulfilling lives, even in the midst of their symptoms.

Misconception #4: If You’re Seeing Things, It Must Be Schizophrenia

Beyond a one-off reaction to a prescription drug or an illicit substance, most people believe that if you’re experiencing hallucinations, it’s probably schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is the most well-known mental illness to cause hallucinations, as that is one of its major symptoms. However, it is far from the only illness that can cause hallucinations.

Hallucinations are a common symptom of many neurological diseases, from brain tumors to epilepsy to migraines. Those with dementia or Parkinson’s disease can also experience hallucinations, whether as a side effect of their medication or a symptom of the condition itself.4 In fact, hallucinations are so common among neurological diseases that there has been a push in the last few years to reclassify schizophrenia as a neurological disorder, rather than a psychiatric one.

Misconception #5: Schizophrenia Means You Will Need To Be Hospitalized Long-Term

Another common misconception is that if you have schizophrenia, you will need to spend most of your life in the hospital. This is simply not true, especially with the modern options we have available to treat schizophrenia. 

Most treatments for schizophrenia are outpatient treatments, with occasional short-term hospitalizations for extreme cases such as experiencing a psychotic episode or being a danger to yourself or others. This is true of all mental illnesses, including more common conditions like anxiety and depression.

Misconception #6: Schizophrenia Is the Result of a Traumatic Childhood

This comes back once again to exaggerated media portrayals. Schizophrenic characters are often shown as having experienced a traumatic childhood, with abusive parents, that caused their schizophrenia. While that does happen in real life, it’s far from the only cause of schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a mental illness like any other and can be caused by genetics, substance abuse, trauma of all kinds, and more. It isn’t always a matter of blaming the parents. 

Schizophrenia is an often demonized mental illness due to misconceptions and poor media portrayals; but just like any other, it exists on a spectrum and it can be treated.

It’s important to find mental health providers who can tell the truth from misconceptions when it comes to schizophrenia. That’s why the skilled and compassionate clinicians at Rivia Mind are here for you. Contact us today to learn more or to schedule a free 15-minute consultation. 

Resources:

  1. What Is Schizophrenia? – American Psychiatric Association
  2. Mental illness and violence: debunking myths, addressing realities – American Psychiatric Association
  3. Violence and Schizophrenia – Wehring, Heidi J. and Carpenter, William, T. 2011
  4. Hallucinations and delusions – as a side effect – Parkinson’s UK
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