Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness that impacts a person's ability to think clearly and distinguish fantasy from reality. They usually have an altered perception of reality and live in a world of their own where they might see or hear persons or situations which do not exist. As in psychotic diseases, the two main pillars of schizophrenia are delusion and hallucinations. The person suffering from schizophrenia may see a person standing next to him who does not exist in reality or may hear voices that are not there.
The first signs of schizophrenia usually emerge during teenage years or in youth . Most people afflicted with schizophrenia live with the disease throughout their lives and a do not receive treatment, which makes the disease more chronic. There is a generic perception that persons suffering from Schizophrenia are prone to be violence, but this might not be the case most of the time.
- Schizophrenia affects about 24 million people worldwide.
- It is a treatable disorder, treatment being more effective in the initial stages.
- More than 50% of those with schizophrenia do not receive appropriate care.
- 90% of people with untreated schizophrenia live in developing countries.
- Care of persons with schizophrenia can be provided at the community level, with active family and community involvement.
Symptoms
There are specific symptom that identifies schizophrenia from other mental illnesses. Psychotic symptoms may be present in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease, or people undergoing manic episode in bipolar disorder, however, careful analysis of the behavioral history and course of the illness can lead to a correct diagnosis.
The symptoms of schizophrenia can generally be divided into three categories -- Positive, Negative and Cognitive:
Positive Symptoms: This includes delusions and hallucinations as the patient has lost touch with reality. Delusions cause individuals to believe that people are reading their thoughts or plotting or secretly monitoring them while Hallucinations cause people to hear or see things that are not present.
Negative Symptoms: They consist of lack of emotional judgment or inability to start and follow through with daily activities. "Negative" does not refer to a person's attitude but to a lack of certain characteristics that should be there.
Cognitive Symptoms: This refers to the thinking process. For example, people may have difficulty with the thought process and in prioritising tasks. A common problem associated with schizophrenia is the lack of insight into the condition itself. This is not a willful denial but rather a part of the mental illness itself. Such a lack of understanding, of course, poses many challenges for loved ones seeking better care for the person with schizophrenia.
Schizophrenia also affects the overall mood of the individual. While many individuals affected become depressed, while other have frequent mood swings and even bipolar-like states.
Causes
It is difficult to pinpoint the exact cause of schizophrenia but a variety of factors like genetic vulnerability and environmental factors impact the onset of the disease. Recent research has identified certain genes that appear to increase risk for schizophrenia. Like cancer and diabetes, genes only increase chances of becoming prone to the illness rather than becoming the cause of the illness.
Common Myths and Facts about Schizophrenia
- Myth : Schizophrenia is all about split personality
Fact : No they are not split personalities, they are away from reality and live in a world of their own - Myth :People with Schizophrenia are dangerous and violent
Fact : Because of frequent delusions and hallucinations might lead to violent behavior, but generally they are harmless to others. - Myth :Schizophrenia is for life, there is no treatment
Fact: People afflicted with this disease require long term treatment. But with proper treatment and care they can lead near normal lives - Myth : Schizophrenia is a very rare disease
Fact: Recent research shows that at least one out of 100 suffer from Schizophrenia
Treatment & Care
Individuals with schizophrenia face a number of challenges including stigma, prejudice and discrimination. A lot more advocacy and awareness needs to be created with information that allows people to seek timely help and treatment.
Medication
The primary medications for schizophrenia are called antipsychotics. Antipsychotics help relieve the positive symptoms of schizophrenia by helping to correct an imbalance in the chemicals that enable brain cells to communicate with each other. The treatment restores anxiety, mood and cognitive symptoms but takes a long time to show effect. The medications might not lead to total improvement but can minimize the ill effects of the disorder.
Most of the medications are prone to having side effects. But this can be stemmed by changing dosages and potency of the medications.
Psychosocial Rehabilitation
Psycho social rehabilitation programmes seems to have a positive impact in treating the disease. Monitoring the proper intake of medicines with proper counseling on accomplishing everyday tasks go a long way in controlling the disease.
It is important to recognise that the needs of persons with schizophrenia may change over time. The patients need a lot of peer and family support and understanding in dealing with the disease. In acute cases of schizophrenia, hospitalization may be necessary.
