Schizophrenia is a psychotic disorder which causes a person suffering from it to lose touch with reality. This disorder causes imbalance of mental health in the patient, resulting in emotional instability and violent behavior.

People suffering from Schizophrenia become fearful and withdrawn because they may hear voices of people (who might not even exist), or they may believe that people are plotting against them etc. These thoughts make it difficult for these patients to trust anyone and in turn to have any relationships with others.

What are the symptoms of Schizophrenia?

The symptoms of this mental health disorder are classified into 3 categories:

Mild symptoms: Mostly deal with abnormal thoughts or perceptions, including contemplation disorder, hallucinations and disorders of movement.

Severe Symptoms: Correspond to a loss or a decline in the capability to commence with plans, speak, put across emotion, or find joy in everyday life. These symptoms are difficult to identify as part of the disorder and can be mistaken for lethargy or depression.

Extreme Symptoms: Refer to problems with attention, memory problems, and the executive functions that permit us to plan and organize. Extreme symptoms can also be difficult to identify as part of the disorder but are the most disabling in terms of leading a regular life.

When do people get Schizophrenia?

Psychotic symptoms and mental health problems usually arise in men in their late teens or at the beginning of their 20’s. These symptoms are noticeable in women during their mid 20’s or early 30’s. Schizophrenia rarely occurs after 45 years of age or before the onset of puberty.

The most prominent signs in youngsters can be related to their lack of sleep, fall in grades or even changing of friends.

What are the likely causes of Schizophrenia?

1. Heredity:  Investigations show that this state tends to run in families. An individual with schizophrenic relatives is ten times more susceptible to develop schizophrenia as somebody who has no history of the disorder in the family.
2. Viral Infection: Some scientists believe that schizophrenia is caused by a virus which attacks the brain. This virus is thought to assail the part of the brain that translates messages from the senses. Damage to this particular part of the brain may result in the person becoming delusional.
3. Chemical Imbalance: Schizophrenia is caused by a disparity of neurotransmitters in the brain. Neurotransmitters produce chemicals that transport electrical messages between nerve cells. Excessive production or modest production neurotransmitter, may account for the series of mental health issues, including schizophrenia.

How is Schizophrenia treated?

Since the causes of Schizophrenia are not very clear and the level to which they affect an individual may vary, treatment procedures are decided based on the patient’s condition.

Hospitalization: In the initial stages, where the patient’s mental health is delicate, it’s essential to hospitalize them. This will prevent the patient to cause harm, either to themselves or to others. Patients may be kept under watch until their treatment begins.

Medication: While putting the patients on medication greatly reduces the symptoms of Schizophrenia and to a huge extents helps restore their lives to normal, but these drugs do not completely cure them. Everyone responds differently to these anti-psychotic drugs and hence sometimes, several drugs and variations have to be tried to finally get the right one.

People suffering from Schizophrenia have to cooperate and work with their doctors in order to find the right medication and dosage with minimum side effects to suit their needs. Some of the most commonly used drugs include chlorpromazine, haloperidol, perphenazine, and fluphenazine.

Psychotherapy: Counseling and therapy help the patients undergoing mental health problems to understand their disorder in a better manner. Using therapy patients can be made to cope with their daily routines, interacting with people etc. Family support also helps to a great extent for the recovery and healing of the patient.

Symptoms and Treatment of Schizophrenia is a post from: Mental Health