Schizophrenia
What is Schizophrenia?
- It is abnormal behaviour and a decreased ability to understand reality. Schizophrenia is defined as a split in mind characterized by disturbance in thinking emotional violation and in concentrations in presence of clear consciousness.
Facts you should know:-
1. Schizophrenia is one of the most serious and frightening of all mental illnesses.
2. No other disorder arouses as much anxiety in the general public, the media, and doctors.
3. Schizophrenia was discovered by Eugen Bleuler in 1908
4. The exact cause of Schizophrenia is not known yet.
5. Schizophrenia is a chronic disorder that can last for years or be lifelong.
6. More than 1 million cases per year (India).
- 7. The first signs of schizophrenia usually appear in adolescence.
What are the symptoms one may get?
• Very Important:-
1. Delusion: the delusion of persecution, Delusion of Reference and delusion of infidelity.
NOTE: Delusions are also known as positive symptoms.
2. Hallucinations: auditory hallucinations (weird noise that doesn't exist), Visual hallucinations (seeing things that don't exist).
3. Negative Symptoms: Avolitions, Anhedonia, lack of interest in talking and loneliness.
Other symptoms:-
• social isolation, agitation, aggression, repetitive movement, self-harm, thought disorder.
• Amnesia, mental confusion, slowness in activities, superstitious mind, detachment.
• Anxiety, apathy, discontent, Paranoia, depression, fear, rapid and frenzied speaking.
• fatigue, lack of emotional response, and memory loss.
Causes of schizophrenia:-
1. Large or increased amount of excretion of dopamine in the brain or excessive neural activity or a chemical imbalance in the brain, disturbance of dopamine and serotonin.
2. Genetics: genetics aspect is more significant and estimated to make an 80% contribution to determine its presence. Having direct relations (first degree) with the person having the same disorder or condition. For example- parents a sibling or relatives.
3. Environmental Factors: stress- financial, workload or death of loved ones.
Treatments for schizophrenia:-
1. Antipsychotic: medicines can help ease from many symptoms. It takes four to six weeks for a medicine to work and show effects on schizophrenia. The duration of treatment should be at least 1 to 2 years for first type symptoms.
Check out some commonly prescribed atypical antipsychotic medications for schizophrenia:
• Abilify (aripiprazole)
• Risperdal (risperidone)
• Zyprexa (olanzapine)
• Seroquel (quetiapine)
• Clozaril (clozapine)
• Symbyax (olanzapine/fluoxetine)
• Geodon (ziprasidone)
Common side effects of medications for schizophrenia include weight gain, drowsiness, shaking of the hand, the formation of more sputum.
2. Injections: for the people who don't like to consume drugs or medicines can take injections once in a month or in two weeks. This is an effective method for the treatment of schizophrenia.
• The new drug is called paliperidone palmitate. It's an injectable form of the second-generation, or "atypical," antipsychotic medication Invega. (May 6th, 2008 is foundation day).• Aripiprazole (Abilify Maintena, Aristada)
• Haloperidol decanoate.
• Risperidone (Risperdal Consta, Perseris)
Other psychological therapies:-
1. Cognitive therapy: talk therapy that focuses and helps you replacing negative and bad thoughts with positive and accurate ones.
2. Psychoeducation: education about mental health that also serves to support, validate and empower patients.
3. Family therapy: psychological counselling that helps family resolve conflict and communicate more effectively.
4. Behaviour therapy: therapy focused on modifying harmful behaviour associated with psychological distress.
5. Group psychotherapy: talk therapy where the therapist worked with the client in a group instead of one on one.
The risk factor in schizophrenia:-
1. The risk factor and the most important for schizophrenia is having a positive family history
2. Some pregnancy and birth complications, such as malnutrition or exposure to toxins or viruses that may impact brain development.
Types of Schizophrenia:-
Schizophrenia is of 5 types,
- Paranoid type: It is the most common form of schizophrenia and is usually characterized by positive schizophrenia symptoms like delusions and hallucinations.
- Disorganized type: This schizophrenia is also called Hebephrenic schizophrenia because these people usually have disorganized speech and behaviour. They may also have inappropriate emotional responses or lack of any emotional response.
- Catatonic type: This type of schizophrenia is unique and rare. It involves physical movement. People with catatonic schizophrenia often have negative symptoms of schizophrenia and are not very responsive. They may not react to stimuli, stay in strange body positions, make odd movements, or even have rigid limbs that will stay in the position that they are moved to.
- Undifferentiated type: Undifferentiated schizophrenia is the classification given to people who may not fit into any of these other classifications of schizophrenia because they are showing symptoms for more than one kind. These people may exhibit both positive and negative symptoms.
- Residual type: Residual schizophrenia is used when people have a past history of positive schizophrenia symptoms but now only have lingering negative symptoms or none at all. These lingering symptoms can include poor attention.
Thank you so much for reading.
-NAVISTHA
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