One of the most serious mental disorders of the 21st century is schizophrenia. This condition is widely misunderstood and is too rarely treated.
What is schizophrenia?
Schizophrenia is a chronic and serious mental illness. A person affected by it perceives reality in a completely different way, reacts differently and does not think rationally.
Types of schizophrenia
The most common types of schizophrenia include:
- Paranoid – characterized by hallucinations and hallucinations. This type of disease usually appears at a later age, and the treatment is promising.
- Catatonic – movement disorders dominate here. The patient may freeze for several hours, or be violently and strongly stimulated for no specific reason.
- Simple – not easy to diagnose early. The patient gradually withdraws from social life. He loses interest and falls into apathy.
- Disorganized – is chaotic thinking combined with bizarre behavior, e.g. putting on several layers of clothes in the heat. It is often accompanied by uncontrollable and inadequate bouts of laughter. It affects young people, around 20 years of age.
What are the symptoms of schizophrenia?
The symptoms of schizophrenia are divided into:
- productive (positive) – these are delusions, e.g. someone may be convinced that they are a historical figure or are being followed, and hallucinations such as hearing voices and seeing things that do not exist,
- negative or defective – here a person loses his natural abilities, is characterized by apathy, social withdrawal, and speech is limited,
- cognitive disorders – we are dealing with problems with memory and concentration, as well as difficulties with decision-making and planning,
- Mental disorganization – these are various types of bizarre behaviour and illogical statements (despite linguistic correctness).
Causes of schizophrenia
The causes of schizophrenia include:
- Genetic factors – the disease has a strong hereditary basis. This means that the risk of developing the disease increases if schizophrenia ran in the family.
- Neurochemical and biological factors. Neurotransmitter disorders are mentioned here, as well as changes in the structure of the brain.
- Early developmental and perinatal factors such as fetal malnutrition, maternal viral infections during pregnancy and hypoxia arising during childbirth.
- Environmental and psychosocial factors such as severe, long-term stress, traumatic event or complicated family relationships. Such causes also include the use of psychoactive substances at a young age and social isolation in large agglomerations.
Treatment of schizophrenia
Treatment of schizophrenia is a process that is long-term and multi-faceted. It is aimed at both controlling the symptoms and ensuring proper functioning among people. Treatment consists of pharmacotherapy, which is the basis, helps to calm delusions and hallucinations.
In addition to medication, the patient undergoes psychotherapy combined with psychoeducation. This helps to understand the very essence of the disease, teaches to recognize the early symptoms of relapse, and also educates how to deal with stressful situations. The so-called social rehabilitation, i.e. learning to function in everyday life, such as establishing relationships. In the case of the acute phase of the disease, hospitalization may be necessary, but it is used when the patient poses a danger to himself or others. It should be remembered that the support of loved ones and the systematic use of medication play an important role in the recovery process.