Schizophrenia was ranked the "third most disabling disorder" - mostly because it not only involves hallucinations and delusions, but also leads to depression, confusion, lack of motivation and strained personal relationships. In recent years, the importance of behavior therapy and support nets has been stressed, in addition to the continuous dosage of a schizophrenia drug like Clozapine. Career counseling, housing assistance and education are extremely helpful to a schizophrenic's integration into society.
The symptoms of schizophrenia vary from person to person, depending upon the chemical imbalance of Dopamine, Seratonin and Norepinephrine. One sufferer, Robert Bayley, recounts: "The visions are extremely vivid. Paving stones transform into demonic faces, shattering in front of my petrified eyes.
When I am in contact with people, they can become grotesquely deformed, their skin peeling away to reveal decomposing inner muscles and organs. Buildings and rooms spin and weave and their walls close in as I look on, paralyzed by fear.
The voices either ramble in alien tongues or scream orders to carry out violent acts. They also persecute me by way of unwavering commentary and ridicule to deceive, derange, and force me into a world of crippling paranoia."
The initial schizophrenia drug was Thorazine, but the side effects were daunting. Often patients would develop a gaunt look and the facial muscles would become rigid and legs and arms would sometimes become immovable. While these "neuroleptics" were effective in treating symptoms like severe hallucinations, delusions and psychotic episodes, they affected the nervous system so much that many patients stopped taking the drugs.
Today, atypical anti-psychotic drugs are popular to treat schizophrenia. These drugs include: Clozapine, Zyprexa and Risperdal. The side effects are far less and it is recommended that white blood cells be monitored to ensure optimal health while on these drugs. Clozapine is said to be one of the most effective drugs on the market, though it's not as aggressively marketed because it's not on patent.
Family members sometimes have the hardest time understanding schizophrenia. Parents may feel guilt, denial or anger. Siblings may feel jealousy at the attention their sibling receives, fear or embarrassment.
The schizophrenic will often feel isolated, depressed, fearful and confused. A snide remark or harsh tone can send a schizophrenic into a psychotic episode. Parents also have a tendency to want to do everything for the sufferer, but schizophrenia research suggests that including the schizophrenic in daily chores and gradually increasing the patient's independence are effective treatment methods.
Schizophrenia disorder has an affects the thinking, emotions and actual behavior of the person that is affected by it. While there is not a cure for this illness it can be managed with medications and alternative treatments. This condition affects children as well as adults and in order to do something about a prior diagnosis has to be given first.
Knowing the symptoms of schizophrenia is the first step in how to diagnose schizophrenia disorder. There are changes in the way a person behaves in social situations such as becoming confused and exhibiting signs of strange behavior. They can be moody or depressed from time to time. Other disorders that share these symptoms have to be ruled out before a diagnosis is made.
You have to look closely at the actions of someone that you think has schizophrenia disorder to know whether or not they actually have it. There could be a change in the pattern of sleep and in the care they give themselves in terms of hygiene. It is even possible for it to affect the relationships they have with family and friends. Withdrawing from those around them will be noticeable to you when you observe the interactions with others around them.
You will need to listen to those that you believe to have this disorder in order to know what they are thinking, feeling and fearing. Extreme paranoia and difficulty with speech and the thought process can all be signs of this disorder. In the case of children you should talk to their teachers, counselors and pediatrician to get the full picture of the way they interact outside the home and to make your concerns known.
When it comes to diagnosing schizophrenia disorder there is no one test that can be done to find out for sure. There are no blood tests or scans that can be done. The symptoms of schizophrenia are used to determine the final diagnosis. There are five types of these symptoms that combined make up schizophrenia disorder. The symptoms fall into the negative and the positive which can make the whole idea of diagnosing schizophrenia disorder confusing itself.
Delusions, vivid hallucinations, the inability to organize speech or behavior are all included in the symptoms to watch for when making the attempt to diagnose schizophrenia disorder. There are cognitive symptoms that can go along with the negative and the positive as well to form a more complete picture making a diagnosis of a schizophrenic disorder easier.
How to diagnose schizophrenia disorder gets more complicated when you take the fact there are five different kinds of schizophrenia. When schizophrenia is finally diagnosed it will be put into one of the subcategories to make it a more specific diagnosis.
Paranoid schizophrenia features both delusions and hallucinations that involve conspiracies against them. They can feel as if everyone around them has turned against them.
Disorganized schizophrenia is characterized by disorganization of speech and behavior. It can have negative symptoms associated with it as well. There will be fewer hallucinations and delusions when it comes to how to diagnose this schizophrenia disorder.
Catatonic schizophrenia shows signs of inactivity or extreme activity. Behavior is either abnormal or considered bizarre to come up with the diagnosis. Then there is the undifferentiated type of schizophrenia which combines symptoms of psychosis without a dominating symptom. Negative symptoms, hallucinations that can cause delusions and disorganization is speech and behavior patterns can all combine to show this type of schizophrenic disorder.
Then there is residual schizophrenia that you must learn to diagnose. When it comes to diagnosing schizophrenia this is the diagnosis that is used the least. Those that have had one of the previously mentioned forms of schizophrenia diagnosed at one point or another in their lives but no longer have prominent symptoms fall into this category.
How to diagnose schizophrenia disorder is more of a monitoring of symptoms that are associated with its various forms than anything else.
Both Mike Selvon & Ronen David are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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Ronen David has sinced written about articles on various topics from Depression Cure, Beauty Procedure and Family. Ronen David is the chairman of "Malam" (an Israeli organization supporting and representing those dealing with mental disabilities). He is the author of the "How to Cope With Psychosis & Schizophrenia Self Help Handbook".Visit his web site and learn about. Ronen David's top article generates over 368000 views. to your Favourites.