Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe, and disabling form of mental illness. It interferes with a persons ability to think clearly, manage emotions, make decisions, relate to others, and distinguish delusions or hallucinations from reality. The onset of schizophrenia can be either sudden or gradual over a period of a few years. There is a wide range of severity as well as duration of illness. Its impact on the quality of life of the patient is pervasive and it can cause severe disruption to activities of daily living. Schizophrenia is considered the most stigmatizing of all mental disorders and leads to discrimination, poor self-esteem, depression, demoralization, and sometimes even suicide. The treatment team for schizophrenia consists of a psychiatrist, psychiatric nurse, social worker, and others. Fortunately, most patients with schizophrenia respond to treatment.

There are 5 subtypes of schizophrenia, each characterized by the major symptoms that the patient experiences, including:

• Paranoid schizophrenia
• Catatonic schizophrenia
• Disorganized schizophrenia
• Undifferentiated schizophrenia
• Residual schizophrenia

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) states that the goals of treatment for schizophrenia include:

• Reduce or eliminate symptoms
• Maximize function and quality of life
• Promote and maintain recovery from the debilitating effects of schizophrenia

In addition, the APA notes that specific areas of impairment that should be addressed during treatment include:

• Positive and negative symptoms
• Depression
• Suicide ideation
• Substance abuse
• Concurrent medical conditions
• Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Personal care and functioning

In general, there are two main avenues of treatment for schizophrenia:

• Drug therapy - medications used usually include typical or atypical antipsychotics

• Psychosocial therapy - this form of therapy has been found to be helpful for patients already taking medication who need support in dealing with aspects of schizophrenia that affect quality of life, including:

  • difficulty with communication
  • self-care
  • employment
  • motivation
  • maintaining relationships

Learn more by ordering your MediFocus Guidebook on Schizophrenia, the most comprehensive, up-to-date source of information available. You will get answers to your questions, including:

• What are the risk factors of Schizophrenia?
• What standard and alternative treatment options are available?
• Where are the leading doctors, hospitals and medical centers that specialize in Schizophrenia research and treatment?
• What are the results of the latest clinical trials?
• Where are the support groups and additional resources in my area?
• What are the promising new treatments on the horizon?

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