Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder that affects how a person thinks, behaves, expresses his feelings, and sees facts and mutual relations with those surrounding him.
And contrary to the common notion, Schizophrenia does not imply a split personality, or multiple personality disorder, but it is a psychological disorder that makes the infected person unable to differentiate between what is real and what is imaginary. Schizophrenia is a chronic condition that requires lifelong treatment.
Causes:
The main cause of Schizophrenia is unknown, but researchers believe that a combination of genetics and environment contribute to the development of this disorder, as Schizophrenia patients suffer imbalance of some neurotransmitters in the brain leading to the occurrence of this disease, notably dopamine.
Symptoms:
The symptoms of Schizophrenia usually start in men at the beginning till the middle of twenties. For women, the symptoms usually start in the late twenties. As for children and people older than 45 years old, the symptoms are rarely diagnosed.
Schizophrenia involves problems in thinking, behavior or feeling. The signs and symptoms may vary but they affect the person’s ability to work. The symptoms include the following:
- Delusions: A person deeply believes in false beliefs although they are not based on reality. For example, the person believes he is oppressed or he has special capabilities and talents and that his deeds fall under the control of an external force. He might also feel that his body is not functioning properly. Out of five Schizophrenia patients, four people suffer delusions.
- Hallucinations: This usually involves seeing or hearing things that don't exit, and for the Schizophrenia patient the hearing hallucinations are more common.
- Disturbance in Thinking: It is noticed when talking to a person with Schizophrenia that his speech is disorganized and also his answers are illogic or completely unrelated to the subject.
- Disturbance in Movement Behavior: Some people with Schizophrenia show abnormal behaviors, such as childlike acts or meaningless movements.
Risk Factors of Schizophrenia: Although the exact cause of Schizophrenia is unknown, some factors may increase the risk of Schizophrenia, including the following:
Having a family history of Schizophrenia.
Getting infected with certain viruses.
Suffering malnutrition during pregnancy, particularly in the first and second trimester.
Stimulating the immune system as result of having one of the immune-deficiency diseases.
Using drugs or hallucinogens.
Complications:
Leaving Schizophrenia without treatment causes psychological, behavioral and health problems such as:
Diagnosis:
When diagnosing Schizophrenia, the doctor examines the genetic and medical history of the patient and the psychiatrist may ask questions about symptoms and family history. He may also request blood and brain tests, because they are useful for verifying that the symptoms are not resulting from other diseases.
Treatment:
Schizophrenia is a chronic disease requiring a lifelong treatment, even when the symptoms are stable. Schizophrenia treatment is made up of two kinds: Drugs treatment and psychiatric treatment.
In case the patient suffers from severe symptoms, it may be necessary to take him to hospital to ensure his safety as well as proper nutrition, adequate sleeping and basic hygiene.