Schizophrenia is an extremely complex mental disorder that makes it difficult for patients to distinguish between real and unreal experiences, think logically, have normal emotional responses, and behave normally in social situations.
Causes and Risk Factors
Mental health experts are not sure what causes schizophrenia. However, genetic factors seem to play a role. Certain environmental events may trigger the disease in people who are at risk for it. One is more likely to develop schizophrenia if a family member has the disease.
Schizophrenia usually begins in a patient’s teen years or in young adulthood, but it can also be developed later in life. Schizophrenia tends to begin later in women and is often milder.
Schizophrenia in children begins after age 5. Childhood schizophrenia, however, is quite rare and can be extremely difficult to tell apart from other childhood developmental disorders, such as autism.
Symptoms
Schizophrenia symptoms usually develop slowly over months or years. The symptoms shown may vary; sometimes one may show a lot of them, and other times, one may show only a few symptoms.
People with any type of schizophrenia may have difficulty maintaining friendships and working. These patients may also struggle with anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts or behaviors.
At first, a patient’s symptoms may include:
- Irritable or tense feeling
- Difficulty concentrating
- Difficulty sleeping
As the disease progresses, you may experience:
- Lack of emotion
- Delusions (strongly held beliefs that are not based on reality)
- Hallucinations
- Problems paying attention
- Bizarre behaviors
- Social isolation
Symptoms may vary, depending on the type of schizophrenia the patient has.
Treatment
During a schizophrenic episode, the patient may need to stay in the hospital for safety reasons.
There are antipsychotic medications that can help treat schizophrenia. They are the most effective treatment, in fact. The drugs change the chemical balance in the brain and can help control symptoms of the disease.
Although these medications are usually helpful, they can cause side effects. Many of these side effects can be improved, however, and they should not prevent people from seeking treatment.
Common side effects from antipsychotics may include:
- Sleepiness
- Dizziness
- Weight gain
- Increased chance of diabetes and high cholesterol
- Feelings of restlessness or “jitters”
- Slowed movements
Did You Know That…
- About 2.7 million people in the U.S. suffer from schizophrenia.
- One in every hundred Americans will fall victim to schizophrenia.
- The most common form of hallucinations in schizophrenic sufferers is auditory experiences such as “voices.”
- More mental hospital beds are held by people with schizophrenia more than any other illness.
- Some famous people who have suffered from schizophrenia include NFL player Lionel Aldridge, singer Donny Hathaway, and rapper Bizzy Bone from Bone Thugs-n-Harmony (schizoaffective disorder).
Learn more about schizophrenia by visiting www.schizophrenia.com
