Main facts:
- Schizophrenia is a severe mental illness that affects men and women equally.
- A person suffering from schizophrenia may seem disconnected from reality, creating challenges for themselves and their families.
- Those who consume alcohol or illegal substances while suffering from schizophrenia are more likely to engage in self-harm or aggression against others.
- Although schizophrenia is incurable, it can be treated with a mix of medications and therapy, as well as the support of those around the affected individual.
What are the causes?
There are no specific causes of schizophrenia. According to several studies, a variety of factors including genetic, physical, psychological, as well as environmental, can contribute to the development of this disorder.
Here are some situations that may trigger the development of schizophrenia:
Stress. Extremely stressful life situations, such as physical, emotional or sexual abuse, the loss of a loved one, being unemployed or homeless and so on, can cause schizophrenia.
Substance abuse. Though it is unclear if drug use directly causes schizophrenia, cocaine, cannabis, and amphetamine use can result in schizophrenia-like symptoms. According to research, young people who frequently use cannabis are more likely to acquire schizophrenia later in life.
Genetics. If you have a parent or sibling who suffers from psychosis, you could be a candidate for schizophrenia. However, research suggests that determining which gene is responsible for schizophrenia is not reliable.
Neurological development. Individuals who have their brain development interrupted during pregnancy or early childhood are more prone to develop schizophrenia. According to research, imbalances in certain brain neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin can be associated with schizophrenia.
What are the signs and symptoms of schizophrenia?
- Schizophrenia symptoms often appear when a person is in their late teens or early 30s, and they tend to develop earlier in men than women. Symptoms can vary in severity and are unique to each individual and may include the following symptoms:
- Non-stop delusions: A person with schizophrenia holds onto a belief despite evidence indicating it’s not real. The most common type of delusion in schizophrenia is persecutory or paranoid delusions, in which the individual believes they are being harassed or harmed by the people around them.
- Psychosis: Psychosis is a cluster of symptoms negatively affecting a person’s thinking, emotions, and behavior. A person undergoing a psychotic episode may experience a detachment from reality, which can manifest as hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized thinking.
- Disorganized thought and unclear speech: A schizophrenic finds it difficult to communicate with others because they frequently speak without making sense or are difficult to comprehend.
- Disorganized movements/behavior: Characterized by moving/acting strangely, affected individuals are frequently non-goal-directed and make no sense at all, such as inappropriately taking clothes off in public or laughing out loud even when there is nothing funny about the circumstance.
- Negative symptoms: These refer to the lack or decline of certain characteristics common in a healthy person. These symptoms may include avoiding social situations, lacking motivation, speaking in an emotionless tone, and exhibiting flattened affect (looking or displaying a very narrow range of emotions).
Anger, being easily distracted, anxiety, difficulty sleeping and depression are some of the other symptoms that a person with schizophrenia may experience.
The challenges of the condition
Schizophrenia is a chronic mental illness, therefore the symptoms do not typically improve with age, and herein lies the difficulty of being diagnosed with schizophrenia or living with someone who has been diagnosed. People with the illness find it difficult to reach out, both to family members and to healthcare experts, especially if their symptoms include feeling distrustful of others.
Never lose hope; instead, reassure the affected person that they will have continuous support, access to necessary treatments, and the opportunity to lead a meaningful and enjoyable life.
Arbor Wellness is ready to assist you or a loved one in achieving mental harmony for a healthy existence. Call us at 702-820-1197 and rest assured that we will be with you every step of the way
Sources:
https://mhanational.org/conditions/schizophrenia
https://www.verywellmind.com/what-are-the-symptoms-of-schizophrenia-2953120
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/stages-of-schizophrenia
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/4568-schizophrenia
https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/schizophrenia/causes
https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/schizophrenia/causes