The Causes, Types, And Symptoms Of Schizophrenia

Just like any other ailments, it can be very hard to diagnose psychiatric disorders accurately, among them being Schizophrenia disorder. Schizophrenia is rare, and it affects the brain, leaving behind a combination of mood disorders and schizophrenia. At first, the disease might be hard to diagnose as it shares symptoms similar to two conditions, which include bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Compared to these two ailments, schizoaffective is less studied and not many people are well informed about the disease, and this explains why schizoaffective treatment is borrowed from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

Many individuals who have Schizophrenia disorder at first diagnosed to be having manic depression. What helps differentiate manic disorder from schizoaffective disorder is the fact that a patient with bipolar disorder experiences hallucinations and delusions that eventually go away after about two weeks, leaving the mood standard as it was before. An individual who experiences psychosis has hallucinations and delusions for more than three weeks. In some instances, a patient’s hallucinations and delusions might come back again after the mood had already stabilized, together with other symptoms such as paranoia and catatonia.

In such cases, the patient is often diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder. In adolescents, it has been noted that it is very hard to distinguish between schizophrenia and bipolar disorder due to psychotic behaviors are common at that age. According to Castle (2014), schizoaffective disorder is widely diagnosed in women because women are always more depressed than men. If not treated, schizoaffective disorder might lead to other problems that are likely to affect the way an individual socializes with people in society and how one perceives other people. The mere fact that schizoaffective is complicated and, in some cases, misdiagnosed, it is important to understand some of the causes, types, symptoms and how it can be treated.

Causes

It’s unknown what might be the exact cause of a person being diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder. With this in mind, professionals have been forced to rely on combining various factors, such as brain structure, to help in understanding what causes the development of schizophrenia. Some of these factors that have been seen to play a large part in the development of this disorder include altering medication, having a relative with bipolar disorder and undergoing stressful events. These are among the factors that have been noted to increase the chances of an individual developing and acquiring schizoaffective disorder.

Types of Schizophrenia

• Catatonic schizophrenia: – in this kind of schizophrenia, a person is extremely isolated and withdrawn. A patient with this sort of schizophrenia also experiences psychomotor disturbances.
• Schizoaffective disorder: – a patient with this type of schizophrenia has symptoms of both mood disorders such as bipolar mania, depression as well as schizophrenia.
• Paranoid schizophrenia: – in this case, a person is highly suspicious of everyone around him/her and experiences hallucinations and delusions frequently.
• Undifferentiated Schizophrenia: -this type of schizophrenia has all the symptoms of schizophrenia but differs completely from other subtypes of schizophrenia or encompasses more than one type of schizophrenia.
• Residual schizophrenia: -in this instance, an individual is reluctant and uninterested in undertaking day-to-day activities but has no cases of suffering from hallucinations, disorganized behavior or delusions.

Symptoms of Schizophrenia

In most cases, Schizophrenia is characterized by profound disruption of individual emotion and cognition, and this affects a person’s sense of self, language, perception and other human attributes. Depending on how far the disorder is and what type of schizophrenia an individual has, symptoms may vary from one person to another. No single symptom can be used to diagnose what a person suffers from, as diagnosis entails examining a series of signs and symptoms. With regards to schizophrenia, symptoms are majorly divided into two, namely, positive and negative symptoms, due to the way they will impact the treatment and diagnosis.

Positive symptoms

These symptoms, in many instances, affect and distort the normal functions of an individual. An individual’s personality is disturbed and affected. These symptoms include;

• Hallucinations: – an individual sees, hears, feels and tastes things that do not exist. One of the most common experiences entails hearing sound and imaginary voices that talk to you.
• Disorganized behavior: – an individual experiences problems when it comes to performing routine chores like taking a shower or selecting an outfit, among others. An individual can also experience impulsive outbursts that are unprovoked.
• Delusions: -this is where an individual has a false idea and believes in them completely. One can think that someone is spying on them or they are famous.

Negative symptoms

These include symptoms that diminish an individual capability to practice standard functions. These symptoms are hard to evaluate as they aren’t very vivid and can be due to other factors. Among these symptoms include a lack of drive or ambition, isolation, lack of enthusiasm or even emotional flatness.

Treatment

It is important for someone to undergo treatment after experiencing the above symptoms or after being diagnosed with schizophrenia. Early treatment can result in a better outcome for a patient in the near future. Through gaining proper treatment, you are assured of keeping your symptoms in check and have a managed condition that is not out of control. With regards to acquiring Schizophrenia treatment, one can undergo;

Rehabilitation

Because no cure exists for proper schizophrenia treat is important to help this person suffering from this disorder live a productive life. One can recover through undergoing medical and rehabilitation programs. With the aid of recovery, a patient is in a position to recover the lost self-esteem and confidence while having a purpose in life. Some of these programs include;

• Psychotherapy: -This is where an individual undergoes counseling with the aim of learning more about the illness and being in a position to manage problems related to the disease. Family therapies are one of the counseling where the family gets a chance to learn more about what might be the problem with one of them and know what to do to help them.
• Case management: patients have a chance and opportunity to access services, financial assistance, and resources that they require.

Medication

The type of medicines one takes depends on how the condition is and how fast it’s getting out of control. The primary drug given to an individual experiencing psychotic symptoms is identified as antipsychotics. With the help of this medication, Schizophrenia disorder can be monitored and also managed. When it comes to dealing with mood symptoms, the medication prescribed includes antidepressants or mood stabilizers like lithium. However, taking these drugs and medication will help in managing the disorder, but side effects are bound to be experienced. These side effects vary from one person to another, but some of the most common ones include blur vision, dry mouth, dizziness and even drowsiness.

Conclusion

When it comes to dealing with psychotic disorder, optimism is one element that plays a significant role during the recovery process. Families and friends should be there to support people with psychotic behavior, as some of these disorders cannot be prevented. Starting treatment once you notice funny symptoms goes a long way in shaping your future and preventing further replacements. An individual with Schizophrenia should not be afraid to face the world and should be positive in everything they undertake.

Work Cited

Castle, David, and Peter F Buckley. Schizophrenia. 1st ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014. Print.

Kasper, S. Schizophrenia Explained. 1st ed. St. Albans, England: Altman Publishing, 2003. Print.

Tsuang, Ming T. Schizophrenia. 1st ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011. Print.