Schizophrenia Treatment

Schizophrenia is a behavioral condition that is serious, but not untreatable. Approximately 1 in 100 Americans suffer from it and there is no known cure – but schizophrenia treatment is available. Schizophrenia is characterized by a separation of thinking and emotional responsiveness.

Symptoms of Schizophrenia

The symptoms of schizophrenia are all involuntary and cannot be controlled. They include hallucinations (often in the form of voices in the head), paranoid or bizarre delusions, disorganized speech and thinking, lack of emotion, significantly diminished voluntary speech during conversation, absence of pleasure, no desire to form relationships and loss of motivation. When these symptoms are mild, the patient can be brought into experienced mental health treatment centers like Sovereign Health of California to be cared for and taught how to ease the symptoms.

In serious cases of schizophrenia, a patient may not be able to perform daily activities, such as dressing themselves, or react to the environment around them. If the schizophrenia has progressed to this point, the patient may have to be hospitalized.

Causes of Schizophrenia

Although nobody has been able to point to one particular cause of schizophrenia, many possibilities have been cited. Some of these are genetic inheritance, brain damage or exposure of the mother to rubella (also known as German measles) during the second trimester of pregnancy, as well as some viruses, although the particular viruses have yet to be identified.

Although there is debate about the cause or causes of schizophrenia, it is widely accepted that schizophrenia has a physical effect on the brain. Studies have shown that, when affected by the disease, the brain will have different configurations of synapses. These are the connectors that link brain cells together. Brain cells, known as neurons, frequently send each other electrical signals in the brain using synapses. When a person is suffering from schizophrenia, their brain has different configurations of synapses, which account for some of the symptoms.

Another change that can be seen in the brain is an imbalance of chemicals, such as dopamine and serotonin. These chemicals are used by neurons to send signals through synapses. Also, different parts of the brain are enlarged, or abnormally small, when observed through an MRI scan.

Diagnosis and Treatment

There is no one positive test to diagnose a patient with schizophrenia and symptoms are often complicated by other illnesses like addiction. Typically, certain abnormalities in behavior are noticed by family members. Once they report to a specialist, such as a psychiatrist or clinical psychologist, a clinical diagnosis can be made or ruled out. Once the diagnosis has been finalized, the patient can enter treatment. This involves psychotherapy, vocational and social rehab, and medication such as antipsychotics. Dual diagnosis treatment programs can treat individuals whose schizophrenia is complicated by other issues. It is vital that the patient stays on the medication.