Schizophrenia is one of psychotic disorders, characterised by difficulties in distinguishing reality from the unreal. The person can have sensations, feelings or thoughts that distort the view on what is going on around or within him/her. This can cause difficulties in the management of emotions, the relation to other people and in normal functioning.
Psychotic disorders: There are several psychotic disorders with specific combination of symptoms. Paranoid psychosis is characterized mainly by the presence of persecutory delusions. Schizoaffective psychosis has, together with positive or negative symptoms, more pronounced mood variations. Acute psychotic conditions can have any of the combinations of symptoms that last a relatively short period of time, usually one month.
Factors that play a role in the occurance of schizophrenia
Probably, it is caused by an interplay of various biological, psychological and societal factors. This results in impaired function of neurotransmitters.
Neurotransmitters: Neurotransmitters are substances that carry impulses within the brain. One of them, dopamine, plays a special role in patients with schizophrenia.
Schizophrenia can develop suddenly or gradually.
Most commonly it occurs between the age of 15 and 25. It occurs in about 1% of the population everywhere in the world.
Risk factors include lower socio-economic status, lower education, family history of schizophrenia, stressful situations such as the loss of a loved one, or violence in the family or the environment.
Consumption of psychoactive agents can trigger a psychotic episode as well.
A treatment that encompasses both biological and psychosocial methods is the best choice.
Develop suddenly or gradually: The person begins to change in his/her behaviour which often becomes bizarre, begins to isolate him/herself, fails to perform daily or work responsibilities, can start to talk in a strange way or the content of speech can be strange. The environment often recognizes that something unusual is going on with the person. This condition can last for a long time before any positive symptoms occur.
Biological: Most commonly, the biological method involves medication with antipsychotics which are mostly taken over a long period of time. Usually these are pills, but the person with schizophrenia may also receive depot preparations, i.e. long-acting antipsychotics which are given once every two weeks, monthly or even every three months. Medicaments usually work on positive symptoms and are relatively ineffective with negative ones. In addition, antipsychotics can have serious side effects like involuntary movements, sedation and weight gain and this sometimes is the reason behind patients’ refusal to take them. An electro-convulsive therapy could be a treatment of choice in rare cases when symptoms are extremely severe, and the usual treatment is ineffective.
Psychosocial methods: The results are better when combining medication with social support within psychosocial group treatments that offer social skills training, family therapy, individual therapy, vocational rehabilitation and self-help groups.
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