Schizophrenia Treatment

Schizophrenia can be more common than most think, it effects 1 out of every 100 people and can be life debilitating. However, the industry of psychology has made some amazing advancements in the treatment of this disorder. Many people who suffer from this disorder can go on to lead relatively normal lives permitting that the correct treatment is received. The earlier that treatment is received, the better the outcome for the patient will be.

There are a few main types of treatment for schizophrenia symptoms, and it has advanced well past the use of shock treatments or any other harmful treatments. The main treatment given to schizophrenia patients is a combination of medications and therapy. The therapy can range from group therapy to single or even family therapy. The psychologist will determine which therapies will work best for the patient. Pairing therapy and medication is the most effective way to treat this disorder. Of course after diagnoses, both patient and psychologist will discuss which treatment plan to put in place. The patient will have a good amount of input on which therapies he or she would be comfortable participating in. The use of psychotherapy and group therapy are usually favored along with a mix of anti-psychotic and anti-depressant medications. If treatment is received early enough the patient will have a higher success rate than if treatment were received later.

Whichever treatment is given, the psychologist has determined that the benefits will outweigh the negative effects. Early treatment is vital to the patient's success. This disorder may be scary and hard to live with, but with proper care it can be managed nicely. If anyone you know may have this disorder, encourage them to get help as soon as they can. This disorder may be treatable, but still should be taken very seriously.

What are the Symptoms of Schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia affects every part of the body. Family members will probably be able to notice the disease when the patient is young because the suffer won't be thrive at school or making friends. As an adult, the patient won't be able to have interpersonal relations, go to work, or probably care for himself/herself. The patient may lose the ability to enjoy things they once enjoyed such as visiting with friends. Their lack of interested in things they once enjoyed may be caused by the disease. They may want to stay to themselves or they may want to associate with family members only.

The cognitive affects of Schizophrenia is the patient suffers from slow or disorganized thinking, poor memory and concentration, and difficulty expressing thoughts. The patient will not be able to understand what's going on in the room. The patient will sit around and sleep most of the day; they will seem uninterested in having motivation to be productive. People may criticize the patient for being uninterested in having a regular life. Most of the time, the patient will have a blank look on their face, and their voice will seem flat. It will appear as though they don't have any feelings, but it may be a case of not being to express the feelings.

The patient will suffer from delusions or hallucinations that affect the patient's ability to lead a regular lifestyle. The main hallucination is the patient will hear voices in their head, and not be able to understand it's coming from their head. The episodes will build and build before they peak. The symptoms of the disease can be classified as negative or positive. Sometimes patients respond to medication, and sometime they don't. Most of the time, patients with positive symptoms are the ones that will respond to medication.

Defining Schizophrenia

Mental illness is a disorder or medical condition of the mind. There are several types of mental illnesses, one of which is schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a term coined by Swiss Psychiatrist, Eugen Bleuler which is Greek for “split mind”. Some people believe that schizophrenia is a split personality, but it’s really an imbalance, instability of a person’s thinking or behavior. According to the Mayo Clinic, schizophrenia is defined as “a group of severe brain disorders in which people interpret reality abnormally and can result in a combination of hallucinations, delusions, and disordered thinking or behavior”. People with schizophrenia have a hard time determining what is real and what is not real, and they have a difficult time relating to other people in social situations.

Schizophrenia develops over time, and a person may only display a few of the symptoms. The age of the onset of schizophrenia varies, but usually begins in late adolescence or young adulthood. No exact cause of schizophrenia can be pinpointed, and it has been determined that men and women are affected equally by the disease. Children can also be classified as schizophrenic, but it is extremely rare. Before a child is diagnosed with schizophrenia, several tests and observations for other development disorders would first be considered. Also, a person is at a higher risk for developing schizophrenia, if they have a family member with the disease.

They are five types of schizophrenia, which include paranoid schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, catatonic schizophrenia, undifferentiated schizophrenia, and disorganized schizophrenia. People with any type of schizophrenia often display difficulty with school and work. Anxiety and depression is also associated with many types of schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is a complex mental disorder, and the person must be examined by a licensed psychiatrist, who will use various tests to make a diagnosis. After diagnosis, the best form of paranoid schizophrenia treatment will be determined by the physician. 

Paranoid Schizophrenia Symptoms

Mr. Henderson’s 3^rd Period Psychology

Everyone has heard of schizophrenia even if they don’t know what it is fully.  That is for them to find out, but this website is going to concern itself only with a certain type of schizophrenia called paranoid schizophrenia.  There is a reason that it is classified differently from the other types and that largely is based on the symptoms that are expressed in these individuals.

For instance, a paranoid schizophrenic is more likely to have hallucinations and delusions than a catatonic schizophrenic.  This means that they will witness and think things that aren’t true.  For instance, this person might look up in the sky and see a flying monster that nobody else see’s and hear it roar.  Then, in their mind, they will concoct some story about that monster coming after them specifically.  Maybe it’s a demon haunting him.  The stories are always complex and create a lot of fear and paranoia for the schizophrenic.

I am also going to teach you about the other types of schizophrenia as well, including the paranoid schizophrenia symptoms that go with those specifically and not just paranoid schizophrenia.  Also, we will take a look at the modalities that are available for treatment with psychologists and psychiatrists.  They can give medicine and do therapy sessions and more.  We will look at all of this on other pages.  Please read them all.