Speaking Schizophrenia: A Glossary of Terms Used to Describe Symptoms, Tests, Treatments, and More

When you or someone you know is diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, you’ll encounter many new terms and phrases. This glossary will walk you through all the condition-related and medical jargon so that you can understand what’s happening and how to get the most effective treatment for schizophrenia.

Antidepressants These are medications most commonly used to treat depression and anxiety — both of which may be experienced by people with schizophrenia.

Antipsychotics This is a class of drugs often used to treat schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. These medicines can help to relieve hallucinations, confused thoughts, and delusions. Antipsychotics are sometimes used in combination with other medications. They work by impacting certain chemicals in the brain. There are many different antipsychotics on the market.

Anxiety People with anxiety disorders experience extensive uneasiness, often accompanied by intrusive thoughts, compulsive actions or panic. Anxiety may be a symptom of schizophrenia. Some people with schizophrenia experience anxiety disorders.

Atypical Antipsychotics Newer or second-generation antipsychotics are sometimes referred to as “atypical” antipsychotics. Some common atypical antipsychotics include risperdone (Risperdal) and aripiprazole (Abilify).

Bipolar Disorder Bipolar disorder is a serious mental illness. It’s sometimes called manic-depressive disorder. That’s because people with bipolar disorder experience episodes of mood extremes. They can have episodes of increased energy (mania) as well as periods of extreme sadness (depression).

Catatonia People with schizophrenia may enter into a trance-like state, called catatonia, in which they don’t move at all and don’t respond to others.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy This is a specific type of talk therapy in which you’ll meet with a psychiatrist or psychologist to learn ways of coping with symptoms. Your therapist, for instance, might work with you on ways to manage your experiences with voices you may hear.

Coordinated Specialty Care This is a team approach to treating schizophrenia. A coordinated specialty care team typically includes clinicians, therapists, and case workers. These team members may have expertise in psychotherapy, family support, work or educational support, and medication management.

Delusions These are beliefs that are illogical or untrue. The majority of people with schizophrenia experience delusions.

Depression This is the most common mental disorder. Depression causes feelings of persistent sadness or loss of interest in activities. Some schizophrenia symptoms can be confused with clinical depression.

Disorganized Thinking Some people with schizophrenia have trouble organizing thoughts in a logical pattern. Disorganized thoughts can come out as jumbled speech or “word salad” that lacks any coherent meaning.

Dissociative Identity Disorder A major myth about schizophrenia is that people with the disorder have split, or multiple, personalities. Having split personalities is a symptom of another mental disorder called dissociative identity disorder.

DSM-5 This stands for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition. It’s a reference manual published by the American Psychiatric Association to aid healthcare providers in the diagnosis and treatment of mental health disorders.

Dystonia These are involuntary muscle contractions that can cause body parts to move and twist uncontrollably. Dystonia is most often seen as a side effect of some antipsychotic medicines used to treat schizophrenia.

Family Therapy This is a type of therapy you do along with members of your family. A therapist can help your family members understand more about schizophrenia.

First Episode Psychosis This refers to a person’s first experience with psychosis. Not everyone who experiences an episode of psychosis develops schizophrenia, but getting help early can help with recovery.

Hallucinations People with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder may see and hear things that aren’t really there. Hearing voices is a common type of hallucination in people with schizophrenia. (Smell and touch sensations are also possible, but less common.)

Mood Stabilizers These drugs are used mainly to treat bipolar disorder. Some people with schizoaffective disorder may also use mood stabilizers.

Negative Symptoms These are less known but significant symptoms of schizophrenia that may include: difficulty using information to make decisions, lack of pleasure in everyday activities, or a severe lack of energy.

Neurotransmitters These are chemicals in the brain that help brain cells in different parts of the brain communicate with each other. Some medicines for schizophrenia affect neurotransmitters.

Paranoid Schizophrenia Doctors no longer recognize this as an official subtype of schizophrenia, though it refers to people who experience paranoid delusions.

Pediatric Schizophrenia Schizophrenia rarely develops in kids younger than 13. When it does, it’s called childhood-onset or pediatric schizophrenia.

Positive Symptoms This is another term for the psychotic symptoms — hallucinations, delusions, jumbled speech — experienced by people with schizophrenia.

PTSD Post-traumatic stress disorder is a condition in which someone has specific symptoms of mental distress following a terrifying event. Some of the symptoms of PTSD can overlap with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder.

Psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a medical doctor that can prescribe medication to treat schizophrenia. Psychiatrists may also be involved in therapy.

Psychological Evaluation A psychiatrist or psychologist will use specially designed interview questions to determine whether you have schizophrenia.

Psychosis Psychosis or psychotic episode are terms to describe a break or disconnection from reality.

Psychologist These practitioners focus on treating mental health problems with psychotherapy.

Psychotherapy Sometimes called talk therapy, psychotherapy can help people control or eliminate some symptoms of schizophrenia.

Rehabilitation These programs focus on skills that can help people with schizophrenia function better in their communities. Rehabilitation may include job counseling, money management, or communications training.

Schizoaffective Disorder This is a mental illness that acts like a combination of related conditions: schizophrenia and either bipolar disorder or depression.

Schizophrenia This serious psychiatric disorder can cause delusions, hallucinations, and disordered thinking. While there is no cure for schizophrenia, treatment can help to lessen symptoms.

Typical Antipsychotics Older or first-generation antipsychotics are sometimes referred to as “typical.” Some commonly used typical antipsychotics include haldol (Haloperidol) and thorazine (Chlorpromazine).