Lack of Eye Contact
Eye contact or perception of eye gaze is a crucial part of effective communication and social interaction. It creates a personal connection between the speaker and the listener. Maintaining good eye contact shows interest, understanding, and empathy. Unfortunately, patients with schizophrenia find it difficult to look at people’s eyes while talking to them.
An observational study shows that schizophrenic patients show abnormalities in eye gaze perception. The study explained that this results from thought disturbance, lack of interest, attentional impairment, and cognitive fragmentation. Another study highlighted the manifestation of schizophrenia in a person’s eye movement and pupils. Patients often have pupil dilation deficits. However, the implications of this finding are not yet clear.
Patients with schizophrenia frequently zone out during conversations or while doing simple activities. This is associated with their difficulty in arranging their thoughts or expressing themselves. As a result, they may appear distracted and not paying attention. In reality, they have difficulty following along with the conversation or understanding what the speaker is trying to say.
