As stated previously, schizophrenia is a psychological disorder. The American Psychological Association (via the Encyclopedia of Psychology) refers to schizophrenia as “a serious mental illness characterized by incoherent or illogical thoughts, bizarre behavior and speech, and delusions or hallucinations, such as hearing voices.” To be diagnosed as schizophrenic, these symptoms must persist for at least a month and clearly interfere with social interactions, particularly at work and in group situations. Schizophrenics are disconnected from reality. They do not realize the consequences of their actions nor clearly understand what they are doing. Schizophrenia is made up of a variety of symptoms, and as a result, the symptoms are divided into four categories: formal thought disorder, perceptual disorder, affective/emotional disorder, and behavioral disorders. Formal thought disorder is when an individual's speech (diagnosed with schizophrenia) is difficult to follow. It is sometimes difficult to follow the speech of a healthy individual, but this type of irregular speech includes talking about the same event or problem in different ways, similar to talking in circles (circumstantiality). Other cases of speech irregularity include jumping from one topic to another then without logical connection (lascibility of associations) and jumping from one topic to another with a slight connection, but without relativity to the problem at hand (tangentiality). Delusions also fall into this category. Perception disorder is when an individual experiences unusual sensory experiences, most often in the form of hearing voices. An individual may experience one or two voices, or even more, commenting on their behavior. They refer to the voices as unknown... middle of paper... even go to a catatonic state. There is currently no cure for this disease, but thanks to research such as MRIs and the study of genes, there may one day be a cure for this devastating disease. Works cited by the American Psychological Association (2013). In schizophrenia. Retrieved November 23, 2013, from http://www.apa.org/topics/schiz/index.aspxBaird, A. Think about psychology. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice HallBallas, C. (2005, May 11). Health Encyclopedia. Schizophrenia. Retrieved November 23, 2013, from http://www.healthcentral.com/encyclopedia/408/472.html?ic=506048U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2009). National Institutes of Health. Schizophrenia. Retrieved November 28, 2013, from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/schizophrenia/index.shtml#pub10Zimbardo, P., Johnson, R., & McCann, V. Psychology: Fundamental Concepts. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education