What is Schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that affects the person’s ability to act, think, and feel. In schizophrenia, you may experience reality differently. It may result in some consolidation of illusion, daydream, and extreme disorder thinking and behavior, which impacts your daily functioning and productivity.

In schizophrenia, people face difficulty in distinguishing between what is imaginary and what is real.

People with schizophrenia may need to take medication for an indefinite period. Early treatment helps in controlling the symptoms before any serious complications develop.

Key Facts

· In schizophrenia, you face difficulty in distinguishing what is real and what is imaginary.

· People suffering from schizophrenia are two to three times more likely to die early than other people.

· Schizophrenia is treatable. Medication and psychotherapy treatments are effective.

· It is characterized by distortions in perception, language, thinking, emotion and behavior.

Some symptoms of schizophrenia are:

• Hallucinations: Hallucinations usually involves seeing, feeling, hearing, tasting, or smelling things that don’t exist. Hearing imaginary voices is the most common hallucination.

• Delusions: These are false beliefs that are not real. For example, you may think someone is spying on you, or you’re being harmed or harassed.

• Unable to cry, express your joy and laughter.

• Strange use of words or way of speaking

• Odd or irrational behavior

• Personality change

What Causes Schizophrenia ?

There are so many factors for schizophrenia to develop. There can be just one factor or more than one that may play a role in the development of schizophrenia:

In 2017, 0.26% of the male and 0.25% of the female had schizophrenia which has now increased to 1% of the general population.

1. Heredity:

Genetics or hereditary can play a part in the development of schizophrenia.

2. Brain function:

The changes in the brain due to any changes in the body, like puberty may contribute to the development of this disorder. The changes in neurotransmitter such as dopamine or glutamate which are reasons for the presence of hallucination (symptoms of schizophrenia) and change in the brains central nervous system which may alter how the brain works can also affect developing schizophrenia.

3. Environmental factors:

The environmental factor that plays an important role in not only development but also it worsens the disease further. Dr. Kailash feels that the biggest factor is high-stress conditions. Also, using drugs that cause harm to the brain and body, nutritional problems, and financial conditions. It is also known to develop by interference with virus present before or after birth.

Possible schizophrenia Treatments

1. Psychoeducation

2. Medication:

Medications are the side stone of schizophrenia treatment and the most commonly prescribed ways. Medication is a type of drug to treat, cure, and prevent disease. Medication helps in reducing the biochemical imbalances that cause schizophrenia. People with schizophrenia may be unwilling to take them. Those who are unwilling to taking medication may need to be given injections.

3. Psychological Counseling:

Psychological interventions are essential. These may include:

• Individual therapy

• Social skills training

• Family therapy

• Vocational rehabilitation and supported employment.