A person with schizophrenia also demonstrates an emotional flattening or withdrawal, as well as difficulty with socialization. Other symptoms of schizophrenia include a lack of motivation, drive, will, difficulty establishing realistic goals and working toward those. There are active and residual phases of this mental disorder, periods of times during which the person will have serious disturbances in thought, and times when these symptoms abate. Hospitalization is often required at the onset of these symptoms and during an active phase, for safety reasons. Generally, fair to poor, in terms of returning to the level of functioning before the onset of symptoms.
Schizophrenia has the least positive outcome of any of the major mental disorders.
Many parents, when first told of their child's diagnosis, think that after the initial few days in the hospital with administration of medication, that the child will be back to 'normal,' able to resume all his or her former activities. This is not true. Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe, disabling mental illness, lasting for the duration of a person's life, though some people may be more severe than others, and active phases of the disorder are interspersed with residual phases, where the primary symptoms are lessened. Medication can, and generally does, reduce the psychotic symptoms, but concentration, problem-solving, drive, and motivation often remain impaired. Medication compliance is generally a problem, due to the disordered thought process and inability to recognize the need for medication.