Unwell by Matchbox 20 and Schizophrenia

The song Unwell by Matchbox 20 is about schizophrenia and many of the lyrics reference the disorder. Schizophrenia is "a group of severe disorders characterized by disorganized and delusional thinking, disturbed perceptions, and inappropriate emotions and actions." The song begins by saying "All day/ Staring at the ceiling/ Making friends with shadows on my wall." Making friends with shadows could be characterized as an inappropriate action because it is not something that is socially acceptable and it could also be seen as a disturbed perception because shadows should not be seen as people or friends. Later in the song, there are two lines that say "Talking to myself in public/Dodging glances on the train." Talking to yourself and in disorganized ways is a common symptom of schizophrenia. Also, "dodging glances" is common for schizophrenics because many people look at them differently because they are either talking to themselves or being paranoid. Towards the end of the song, the one line says "I've lost my mind." This line goes along with schizophrenia because schizophrenia literally means split mind, so the person in this song could have "lost" one side of his mind. "But stay awhile and maybe then you'll see/A different side of me" is a common line throughout the whole song which shows that the person in this song knows that they are more than just a schizophrenic, they are a person too. The person in this song probably has disorganized or undifferentiated schizophrenia. The person has some disorganized thoughts, but doesn't necessarily show any signs of inappropriate emotion.

Song Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WziA88-n02k
Lyrics: http://www.lyrics007.com/Matchbox%2020%20Lyrics/Unwell%20Lyrics.html