ABSTRACT
The symptoms of schizophrenia include delusions of persecution, of reference, of grandeur, and of control. Some people with schizophrenia show poverty of speech (alogia), characterized by brief and content-free replies, which may be accompanied by blocking of thought. Many sufferers cannot be assigned to one of these diagnostic categories, and are classified as undifferentiated type schizophrenia. There is a genetic component in schizophrenia, shown by the following types of data: One possible route by which genetic factors could predispose a person to schizophrenia is by producing organic pathology. While there is almost certainly underlying organic pathology, schizophrenia is influenced by sociocultural factors. A more recent family approach that has received more support focuses on how emotional communication within the family affects the course of schizophrenia. Relatives can be taught to modify their emotional interaction with the patient, and this reduces the likelihood of relapse.
