Schizophrenia: Understanding The Mental Health Condition

Schizophrenia is a long term mental illness that causes an individual to have an unusual way of thinking, feeling, and behaving. It is associated with a number of symptoms that can greatly interfere with an individual’s ability to work and live normally. The onset of schizophrenia is in early adulthood, and this disorder equally affects men and women and people of all cultures.

Symptoms

Positive Symptoms

Positive symptoms are those that are added to the person’s experience and include:Positive symptoms are those that are added to the person’s experience and include:

Hallucinations: Experience of perceiving things that are not existing or are not present in actual reality.
Delusions: False beliefs that are tightly held and do not have any basis in reality, for instance, one believing to have super powers or that one is being hunted.
Disorganized Thinking: Includes difficulty in having an organized thinking process that may cause the patient to have difficulty in articulating his/her thoughts.
Movement Disorders: This can be as mild as agitation to as severe as hyperactivity, on the other hand it can be as severe as being fixed in place and having no response to stimuli, this is known as catatonia.

Don’t ignore the symptoms, visit your Psychiatrist in Lahore and talk to them for support.

Negative Symptoms

Negative symptoms are those that take away from the person’s experience, including:Negative symptoms are those that take away from the person’s experience, including:

Blunted Affect: Lack of the manifestation of emotions on the face or body, and monotone voice.
Alogia: Little verbal communication even when communication is necessary.
Anhedonia: This is a state of having no enjoyment or interest in things that one used to find enjoyable.
Avolition: Reduced initiation and persistence in initiating and engaging in activities including personal care.

Causes

Schizophrenia has not a clearly known cause, but it is thought that it is caused by genetic and hereditary factors along with the physical and environmental conditions.

Genetics: Familial history of schizophrenia is a risk factor that makes the individual predisposed to contracting the disorder.
Brain Chemistry and Structure: Some of the factors that are believed to be associated with schizophrenia include; Imbalances of neurotransmitters such as dopamine and glutamate, and structural brain abnormalities.
Environmental Factors: Some of the factors include; exposure to viruses, poor nourishment during pregnancy, and psychosocial factors in the development of schizophrenia.

Diagnosis

Schizophrenia cannot be formally diagnosed by yourself because it is a mental disorder that requires a professional to assess. This typically includes:

Clinical Interview: Ascertaining the specific symptoms and how they affect the patient’s day-to-day life.
Physical Examination: To eliminate other pathological processes which may be accompanied by similar manifestations.
Psychological Testing: Mental and cognitive health including mental status assessment.
Diagnostic Criteria: Based on the criteria described in the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition) to make a diagnosis.

Treatment

While there is no cure for schizophrenia, it can be managed with a combination of treatments, including:While there is no cure for schizophrenia, it can be managed with a combination of treatments, including:

Medication: It is mainly treated with antipsychotic drugs that help in minimizing the severity of the symptoms.
Therapy: Cognitive and behavioral therapies are helpful in reducing symptoms and enhancing the quality of life; they include cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT).
Supportive Services: Rehabilitation, vocational training, and support of family programs can assist the person to return to society and to increase the quality of life.

Conclusion

Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder that affects many aspects of an individual’s thinking and behavior, but with proper care, people with schizophrenia can enjoy a rich and productive life. Current studies are also helping in increasing the knowledge about the disorder and advancing the treatment methods. Increasing people’s knowledge about schizophrenia and decreasing prejudice towards the illness also allows the affected individuals to seek treatment. To get help with this condition consulting a Psychiatrist in Rawalpindi is a good start.