Mental illness refers to a variety of mental health conditions that impact thinking, sentiment, behaviour, or mood which can lead to significant distress and makes it challenging to manage daily life including work, school, family, and social liveliness.
One such mental disorder about which I would like to draw your attention to is Schizophrenia. You might have heard some common misconceptions about this disorder which are quite common. For instance, some people think it devises a “split personality.”
To be brutally true, Schizophrenia and split personality — properly termed dissociative identity disorder — are two separate disorders. Most people with schizophrenia are not any more dangerous or violent than people in the general population.
Types:
There
were five types of schizophrenia till 2013 after that these subtypes were
eliminated. Today, schizophrenia is one disease. They were categorized by the
types of symptoms the person exhibits when they are assessed:
1) Paranoid
schizophrenia
2) Disorganized
schizophrenia
3) Catatonic
schizophrenia
4) Undifferentiated
schizophrenia
5) Residual
schizophrenia
Who falls into the depth
of this sickness?
Schizophrenia
can befall both men and women of all years from all races and cultures. It is a
mental health condition that usually appears in late adolescence or early
adulthood. Men often exhibit traits in their late teens or early 20s.
On the other hand, women tend to show signs in their late 20s and early 30s.
The
more advanced the symptoms start, the more severe the illness tends to be.
Infants over the age of 5 can have schizophrenia, but it’s unique before
adolescence.
Here’s what you require to know about this mental dysfunction. Schizophrenia is a chronic, perilous, debilitating mental illness that affects about 1% of the population all over the world.
It is characterized by distortions in thinking, perception, emotions, communication, insight of self and performance.
Schizophrenia
is a long-term condition that can have a profound impact on a person’s
capability to perform in life. These consequences can also affect the people
around them.
Symptoms:
1) Regular struggles include hallucinations like hearing voices or seeing things that are not there and delusions such as fixed, false beliefs, disorganized speech, trouble with reasoning and deficiency of motivation.
2) People with this malady often have problems doing well in civilisation, at work, at school, and in relationships. They might feel startled and withdrawn as they could appear to have lost touch with reality.
3) With
the sudden onset of severe psychotic indications, the individual is said to be
experiencing acute psychosis. Psychotic means
out of touch with reality or unable to separate real from unreal
encounters.
This
lifelong disease can’t be cured but can be controlled with proper treatment.
But people with schizophrenia are 2 - 3 times more likely to expire early than
the general society. This is often due to physical ailments, such as
cardiovascular, metabolic and infectious disorders.
Causes:
Though
researchers aren't sure, it is thought that interplay between genes and a range
of environmental factors may cause schizophrenia.
Psychosocial
circumstances may also provide to schizophrenia and life stressors may play a
role at the early stage of symptoms.
1) Genetic
Inheritance: If there are no records of schizophrenia in a family, the chances
of acquiring it are less than 1%. However, a person’s risk rises if one of
their parents has an analysis of it.
2) Chemical
Imbalance: Schizophrenia appears to emerge when there is an imbalance of a
neurotransmitter termed dopamine, and perhaps also serotonin, in the brain.
3) Environmental
Effects: Things like viral infections, vulnerability to toxins like marijuana,
or highly stressful circumstances may trigger schizophrenia in people whose
genes make them more likely to get the disorder.
Schizophrenia more often surfaces when the
body is having hormonal and physical alterations, like those that happen during
teen and young adult time.
You
must know that people with schizophrenia are at increased risk of having
diverse medical predicaments, other mental health conditions, committing
suicide or involving in other self-harm, and contrarily dying earlier than
people without this disorder.
Before
you can ask me this, yes, we do have some sparse treatment to suppress this
dysfunction.
Treatment:
As
I have informed you earlier there’s no cure for schizophrenia. If you’re
diagnosed with this disorder, you’ll need permanent treatment. They can only
help to control or reduce the severity of symptoms. Unfortunately, there isn’t
a single test to diagnose schizophrenia.
1) A
comprehensive psychiatric exam can help your doctor make an analysis. You’ll
need to see a psychiatrist or mental health professional. The medical
evaluation will normally include lab analyses. Treatments differ depending on
each individual's requirements but may include medications, psychotherapy, and
family-based services.
2) For
many people existing with this dysfunction, family support is particularly
valuable to their health and well-being. It is also essential for families to
be informed and supported themselves.
3) Antipsychotic
drugs aren’t the only approach for people with schizophrenia need. Accompanying
with medication, psychotherapy and support can help them regain their
lives.
4) People
may require diverse levels of care and support depending on the severity of
their condition.
5) Another
treatment option for schizophrenia is psychosocial intervention. This comprises
individual therapy to help you cope with stress and your illness.
6) Vocational
rehabilitation can render you with the skills you need to return to work. It
might make maintaining a regular job easier.
Several
people with schizophrenia may be attended as outpatients. But hospitalization
may be the best option for people:
1)With
severe symptoms
2)Who
might harm themselves or others
3)Who
can’t take care of themselves at home
With
proper treatment, most people with schizophrenia can lead fruitful and
fulfilling lives. Depending on how severe the malady is and how well they get
and stick with medication, they should be able to live with their families or
in neighbourhood settings rather than in long-term psychiatric hospitals.
Sadly,
you must know that there’s no identified way to prevent schizophrenia. But
early diagnosis and treatment can help to avoid or ease frequent relapses and
hospitalizations, and help cut the disruption to the person's career, family,
and relationships.
Anyone
caring for someone with schizophrenia can help by discovering how to spot the
onset of an episode, encouraging the person to adhere to their therapy plan,
and supporting them through their experience. So don't just ignore these
symptoms if you ever notice them.
You
might save a life by just informing them of medical assistance and helping them
to walk through that phase of their life.
Written By – Bennet Vini. R
Edited By - Chavi Goel
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