DID YOU KNOW schizophrenia is an imbalance of brain chemicals? It is said by the National Institution of Mental Health [NIMH] (2006) that schizophrenia is a brain disorder that affects about 1% of all Americans. Research shows there are different types of symptoms, causes, diagnosis, and treatments of schizophrenia. Understanding all of the causes and symptoms of schizophrenia leads to the proper diagnosis and treatment of this disorder.
There are three different types of symptoms of schizophrenia. The three consist of positive symptoms, negative symptoms, and cognitive symptoms.
The positive symptoms can consist of hallucinations, delusions, and thought disorder. Hallucinations are "things" that appear to be there but are just a figure of ones imagination, things that don't exist. Delusions are defined as false ideas. Thought disorder is a term used to describe a pattern of disordered language use that is presumed to reflect disordered thinking
The negative symptoms can range from many different things that are often also mistaken for other disorders. A decrease in the ability to keep plans, speak, and express emotions fall into the negative symptoms. Also emotional flatness, social withdrawal, extreme apathy, and a lack of drive or initiative in daily life would fall under the negative symptoms. Negative symptoms are the hardest to diagnosis because they are often confused with depression or the use of drugs.
Cognitive symptoms would be classified as attention problems. Cognitive symptoms are detected when a neuropsychological test is preformed.
According to the article "Decoding Schizophrenia" in Scientific American (Javitt,D and Coyle,J, 2004) negative and cognitive symptoms fall into clusters know as the four A's. The four A's are autism, ambivalence, blunted affect, and loose association. Autism is the loss of interest in other people and activities. Ambivalence is the emotional withdrawal in a person.
Blunted affect is marked by a bland and unchanging facial expression. Loose association is an effect of no clear logic and jumbling words together.
The cause of schizophrenia is still unknown but there are many theories people have. The Treatment Advocacy Center (TAC) suggests the cause of schizophrenia is that it is
linked to abnormalities of brain chemistry and brain structure. The National Mental Health Association (2006) says that it may be caused by genetics, biology, viral infections and immune disorders. Schizophrenia is the imbalance of two chemicals in the brain serotonin and dopamine. This chemical imbalance affects the brains reaction to stimuli.
The age that people are found to have schizophrenia varies. The (TAC) state that symptoms usually occur between the ages of 16-30. (NIMH) states that it is most common in men to have symptoms to emerge in there late teens and early 20's. Mid 20's to early 30's is when it is more common for women's symptoms of schizophrenia to emerge. There have been cases of schizophrenia in children as young as five, but it is uncommon. It is rare to find the symptoms after the age 45 and before puberty.
A doctor is the one that will diagnose schizophrenia. During diagnose, the doctor also needs to rule out any symptoms that may be brought on by drugs such as hallucinogens that are mistaken for schizophrenia. To be diagnosed for schizophrenia the symptoms have to last at least six months.
There are a few different types of schizophrenia: schizotypal, schizoid, paranoid, borderline, and disorganized. People who have schizotypal have oddities and also have eccentroties of perceptions. People who are schizoid tend to be loners, have virtually no friends, and also very often avoid social situations. Paranoid people usually suffer from hypersensitivity, mistrust, and are suspicious of others motivations. They are also quick to take offense. People who are borderline schizophrenia are very impulsive and unpredictable. People who suffer from disorganized schizophrenia are unable to plan things out and are impulsive as well.
Although there is no cure for schizophrenia yet, there are two different but similar types of antipsychotic medications that will help reduce the biochemical imbalances and control the symptoms. One type of antipsychotic is know as conventional which controls the positive symptoms, and the other one is atypical know as the "new generational" which treats both positive and negative symptoms with fewer side affects. It's very important that if a person is put on an antipsychotic for schizophrenia that they continue to take the medication. If they do not stay on the medication they have a stronger chance in going into a relapse which for the most part is worse than the first time the person had the symptoms. It is said by (TAC) that only 30% of people will go into relapse while staying on the antipsychotic.
People that experience acute or severe symptoms may require hospitalization for intensive treatment. These include state psychiatric, private psychiatric, psychiatric wards, VA hospitals, and inpatient units of mental health centers.
Side effects of the antipsychotic medications are similar to most side effects that a person would have if on any kind of medication which includes dry mouth, blurred vision, constipation, and drowsiness. The more serious side effect that a person could encounter would be muscle control, pacing tremors, and facial ticks.
These are the basic facts of schizophrenia. There's much more information that can be found at your local libraries.
DEVAN RININGER
