We have many times heard words like psychotic disorders and schizophrenia, and most of the people tend to confuse between psychosis and schizophrenia. For simplifying things and for understanding what these terms mean, we can say that schizophrenia is an illness or a disease while psychosis is the active manner of it. There are several signs which would help you in differentiating these two:

• Active signs

When any person suffers from psychosis they suffer from active symptoms. Signs of such condition include visual hallucinations, hearing voices, imagining things and thoughts, delusions, paranoia, etc. These symptoms are indications of psychosis or psychotic disorder and they all are active signs. One faces these conditions for at most 5% of their lives.

• The negative symptoms

When these symptoms tried to be controlled through treatments and medications, such as anti-psychotic medicines, the sufferer tends to suffer from negative symptoms such as depression, fatigue, lack of energy, lack of motivation, being just closed into themselves and so on. These are all post psychotic effects.

• Lack of self awareness

During psychosis disorder, the self awareness of a person lowers considerably and it goes low to a such a level where they cannot even identify that they are suffering from any such disorder. But in schizophrenia negative symptoms, the person has full awareness just like a normal person.

• Lack of self control

During the psychosis disorder, the person’s self control is diminished completely or it becomes too low. Due to the person’s ability to distinguish between right and wrong becomes very poor and it is difficult for the sufferer to control reactions and movements. But no such signs are noticed during schizophrenia and the person has good self control just like a normal person.

• Duration of the Conditions

Psychosis symptoms last for a very short time ranging from a few days to a few weeks but in the case of schizophrenia the person suffers a certain level of negative symptoms throughout the life.

• Treatment

Psychosis can be cured by treatment and anti-psychotic medications and this is the best treatment that could be given to the sufferer. But if the person suffers from schizophrenia then it takes a lot than just medications, the treatment includes different exercises, socialising, sleeping well, eating well, keeping oneself clean and hygienic, having an occupation and lot more.

When someone suffers from psychosis, they cannot point the difference between what is going on in reality and what is going on in their mind as hallucinations. This ability of differentiating between what is real and what is not is like a normal person in case of schizophrenia. But as said psychosis can be treated effectively and quickly as compared to schizophrenia. If you are looking for treatment of either of the conditions then choose the most effective and newest treatment which would help the sufferer to get rid of any such symptoms in the most effective manner. There are many groups and networks that help out people suffering from psychosis and schizophrenia.