Athough it is treatable, relapses are common, and it may never clear up entirely. It makes working and studying, relating to other people and leading a full, independent life very difficult, and causes families much distress. This leaflet explains what it is like, why it may happen and what to do about it. Far too many people have the idea that someone who suffers from schizophrenia can appear perfectly normal at one time and be a deranged killer at another. People who suffer from schizophrenia are rarely dangerous.
People misuse the word schizophrenia in two different ways.
Or, just as commonly, they may mean behaving in very different ways at different times. Again, this is part of human nature. Thoughts, feelings and actions are somewhat disconnected from each other so that what a person says may be out of keeping with what they feel or do, or what they do may be out of keeping with what they say or feel. This may be easier to illustrate by describing the symptoms. These are divided into positive symptoms, which are abnormal experiences, and negative symptoms, which are more an absence of normal behaviour.