What Do You Need to Know About Schizophrenia? A Complete Guide

Have you heard of a mental disorder, schizophrenia? We are here to let you know about the entire concept of this disease in detail. 

A mental health state that is present in more than 20 million individuals around the globe is schizophrenia. This disease is quite severe, but treatment can help the patients to live a fulfilled life. 

Let us discuss some essential facts you MUST know about schizophrenia. 

CAUSES

As the scientists have to find out a precise cause of the disease, there is a lot of research on schizophrenia. The use of alcohol and drugs may place you at the probability of emerging this disorder. Marijuana smoking is also associated with schizophrenia. Also, family history plays a vital part. 

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

DELUSIONS AND HALLUICATIONS: it is common for a person to experience delusions daily while dealing with schizophrenia. Some individuals begin hearing voices in the head; others start feeling like someone is watching them continually. It is a significant issue to differentiate reality from the imaginary world. 

It is a demanding task when you are trying to prove the person that the delusions are unreal. With time, the individual may start to be entirely separate from the world. Looking for images that are not really present may occur in these individuals as well.

ERRATIC BEHAVIOR: Schizophrenia will make the individual act erratically. For instance, they may begin laughing without any reason. Also, some subjects have developed a habit of running naked outside their homes.

While the sufferer may appear normal may times, he will slowly start to show additional symptoms of random behavior. 

DISORGANIZED THOUGHTS: An individual diagnosed with schizophrenia will have a tough time to keep a record of his thoughts. It will be quite difficult for him to keep his concentration on a particular task. 

STRANGE MOVEMENTS: Schizophrenia can make an individual have unusual movements. In some cases, the person starts doing the same act recurrently. Alternatively, some individuals will sit without any motion for a long time at the same place. In addition to this, continuous pacing also happens sometimes.

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DIAGNOSIS

Unluckily, there is no simple diagnosis of schizophrenia, such as through blood tests. For accurately finding out if a person has this disorder, they should consult a physician at first. The doctor will rule out issues such as any medical problem or drug use by taking several physical measures. Many times, the therapist starts performing personality tests. Several signs, such as disorganized behavior and hallucinations, will be noted during the inspection. 

While in a session with the person, the therapist may inquire about a structured series of queries. In some cases, the time of the meeting may last for more than 2 hours. The aim is to measure the degree of a person’s problem. And, yes, one to one discussions will be necessary for the future. 

TREATMENTS

Early treatment is best for schizophrenia, similar to the other issues of health. Now, let’s move towards the treatment options. 

MEDICATIONS: 

In most situations, the psychiatrist tries to treat schizophrenia with medicines. They recommend some antipsychotics for their patients. Antipsychotics drugs are the best choice among medical health professionals. The antidepressants are best for assisting in improving mood. The purpose is to reduce the number of signs. The medicines come in the form of liquids, injections, and pills. 

Both the generations (first and second) medications are accessible. The first-generation drugs are less costly; they have more side effects. Some of the common side effects are increased cholesterol level, reduced sex drive, and weight gain. 

There is an increased probability of facing tardive dyskinesia. It is a disease that makes the uncontrollable body and facial movements along with the antipsychotics medicines of first-generation. 

Getting rid of schizophrenia is a long time process. It means that the individual has to take the medicines daily. 

PSYCHOTHERAPY: It is another essential aspect in the treatment of schizophrenia. It includes the patient to spend time with the psychologist to talk about coping strategies. A significant difference is through a healthy support system, which is mostly present in the group sessions. The goal is to make an individual know more about real disease. 

ELECTOCONVULSIVE THERAPY (ECT): It is quite famous for the centuries. While performing ECT, the person gets mild anesthesia. And then, there is the involvement of electrical shocks that generates a controlled seizure. It is the perfect choice for people who are not willing to take medications. 

Not only this, several pieces of research exhibit that ECT improves the symptoms of schizophrenia quickly, and it is also considered to be safe. 

VITAMIN SUPPLEMENTS: Folic acid brings a significant change in brain health. When there are low levels of vitamins in the blood, there is an increased risk of mental disorder to occur. Due to this cause, schizophrenia patients are asked to have folic acid supplements. A study shows that it can assist in reducing the symptoms of the disease.

CONCLUSION

There are multiples ways you can help if you feel a friend or a family member who has schizophrenia. The primary step is to know about the key symptoms first.

After identifying the signs and symptoms, you should cheer the individual to go for treatment. Don’t forget; any severe mental disorder can be cured with appropriate therapy.