Schizophrenia Schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a disorder characterized by a range of cognitive and emotional dysfunctions that include perception, inferential thinking, language and communication, behavioral monitoring, affect, fluency and productivity of thought and speech, hedonic capacity, volition, drive and attention. No single symptom characterizes schizophrenia. The average age of onset for the first psychotic episode of schizophrenia is in the 20's.
Delusions are typically persecutory or grandiose, or both.
Hallucinations are also typically related to the content of the delusional theme. An individual may exhibit inappropriate grimacing, giggling, or other mannerisms and oddities of behavior. Other indications are extreme negativism, mutism, and echolalia. Echolalia is a parrot-like repetition of a senseless word or phrase. The individual may also exhibit a behavior called echopraxia.