What Is Schizophrenia
This is a psychiatric condition. It affects the human brain. It has severe effects on both physical well-being and mental welfare. Most medical practitioners describe schizophrenia as a form or type of psychosis. Individuals that suffer from schizophrenia have a split personality. This is a serious medical problem. It affects an individuals thoughts, feelings and behaviours. It leads to delusions and disorganized thoughts.
People suffering from this condition require early and immediate medical attention, which turns out to be lifelong treatment. Early treatment is meant to prevent development of complications that may arise later in life.
Epidemiology
Schizophrenia affects 22 in every 10,000 persons worldwide.
Less than 1% of the population in the United States is affected.
Types
- Schizoaffective disorder
- Brief psychotic disorder
- Schizoaffective disorder
- Delusional disorder
- Schizotypal personality disorder
Risks
Risk factors of Schizophrenia are;
- Family history of schizophrenia
- Extremely harsh life experiences such as poverty and insecurity
- Environment
- Recreational drug use
- Developmental and birth issues such as exposure to toxins before birth
- Intake of mind-altering drugs during teen age
Causes
The real causes of schizophrenia are not yet unveiled by the scientific community.
However, it is believed that the environment, genetics and changes in chemistry of the brain can contribute to development of schizophrenia.
Signs & Symptoms
- Hallucinations. The schizophrenic person sees objects or hears voices and sounds that do not exist outside the mind
- Disconnection from personal emotions
- Loss of interest in activities
- Delusions
- Speech or thought that is disorganized
- Unusual motor behaviour
Tests and Diagnosis
- Obtain relevant patient-history from the patient or a reliable informant, for example, a close friend or family member.
- Physical examination.
- Thorough mental health evaluation.
- Tests and screenings. The most likely types of tests to be conducted are;
- Testing of brain activity. An EEG -electroencephalogram- is conducted to check for brain activity/.
- Cerebrospinal fluid tests/ Spinal tap tests
- Imaging tests such as Computer Tomography scan, Magnetic Resonance Imaging.
Treatment & Management
Currently, it is unfortunate that schizophrenia cannot be cured. Anyway, this condition is treatable. With proper/ appropriate medication and therapy, the general life condition of a schizophrenic person can be improved.
It is crucial that schizophrenics get early medical attention.
Types of medications that are used include;
- Antipsychotics
- Mood stabilizers
- Anti-depressants
- Anti-anxiety drugs
- Extrapyramidal drugs
- Antipsychotics. These medications are meant to ease delusions and hallucinations among other symptoms.
First generation/ conventional anti-psychotics for schizophrenia are haloperidol, thiothixene, thioridazine, chlorpromazine and fluphenazine.
Second generation antipsychotics, which are mainly used for treating psychosis currently, include;
Risperidone, olanzapine, clozapine, aripiprazole,iloperidone, lurasidone and ziprasidone.
Note that only clozapine has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat schizophrenia that is resistant to other medications.
Third generation antipsychotics include; lumateprone and lurasidone - Mood stabilizers. These are add-on treatments. Examples are carbamazepine, lamotrigine and lithium.
- Anti-depressants. These are mostly SSRIs- Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Exampleas are;
Citalopram, Fluoxetine, Paroxetine and Sertraline. - Anti-anxiety drugs. For example, Beta blockers and benzodiazepines. Beta blockers include propranolol and atenolol while benzodiazepines include diazepam and lorazepam.
- Extrapyramidal drugs . These include benzodiazepines and anticholinergic drugs such as benztropine.
In addition, the following 2 forms of therapy can be included;
- Psychotherapy. For example, cognitive behavioural therapy(CBT)
- Electroconvulsive therapy
Complications
Complications that are associated with development of schizophrenia include;
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Aggressive characters
- Suicidal tendencies
- Obsessive compulsive disorder
Prevention
According to expert advise, it is still impossible to prevent or lower chances of schizophrenia.
Hopefully, with the modern technological interventions and researches, more information about prevention of schizophrenia will be unveiled.