Treating Schizophrenia
The term schizophrenia is used to designate the disease which is classified as an abnormal disintegration of mental functions. Schizophrenia is a serious and debilitating mental illness which is characterized by its symptoms being: loss of contact with reality, withdrawal from society and bizarre disorganization of speech and ideas. When these symptoms begin to occur an observer will begin to notice a slow and painful spiral into schizophrenia. The psychiatric world has taken a physiological and psychological approach to the disease; utilizing assessing the disease. The organic pathology of schizophrenia can be expressed in different ways. However, one can make a clear connection between the organic pathology of this disease and parallel this with its mental behavioral symptoms. The treatment of schizophrenia can be organic or psychological in process, and the debate on its treatment rages on; however, evidence will show that a high pharmacological treatment is the most successful route to dealing with this illness.
The diagnosis of schizophrenia had its own evolution. The disease was very difficult to diagnose, because of the complexity of its symptoms. It was often mistaken for a personality or anxiety disorder. Often the patient was labeled as "crazy", and unable to be helped. Obviously, now there is more structure to attempting to diagnose the disease. First there is a full physical and mental examination, partly just to separate its symptoms from those of other personality disorders and phobias. Part of the problem was the lack of a clear set of criteria to classify a person as schizophrenic. However, that has changed, in the 50s there was the creation of the DSM III and DST IV c...
... middle of paper ...
...t the disease and another that psychiatrists are quicker to diagnose the disease and read more into other comments or symptoms that are related to the disease. A combination of factors had led to the prevalence of a disease that is painful and horrible for any who have it and those that love them. This is why the treatment of Schizophrenia is so important. When there are new theories are presented it is important to embrace them, with the knowledge that most of the successful results from treatment has come from optimal dosing of anti-psychotics, that the patient is weaned off of over time. As the psychiatric and society otherwise looks into the future about this disease no one must forget that our first priority is the patient. If there is a certainty a treatment, although each patient is different, perhaps there can start to be a road toward true resolution.
According to (Barlow, 2001), Schizophrenia is a psychological or mental disorder that makes the patient recognize real things and to have abnormal social behavior. Schizophrenia is characterized by symptoms such as confused thinking, hallucinations, false beliefs, demotivation, reduced social interaction and emotional expressions (Linkov, 2008). Diagnosis of this disorder is done through observation of patient’s behavior, and previously reported experiences (Mothersill, 2007). In this paper, therefore, my primary goal is to discuss Schizophrenia and how this condition is diagnosed and treated.
Schizophrenia: A guide to the New Research on Causes and Treatments. New York: Macmillan, 1994.
This paper provides an overview of the history of schizophrenia and its treatment. The paper begins by first providing some basic facts about the condition such as its nature, its probable causes, and its symptoms. This brief description is followed by a historical overview which discusses how schizophrenia came to be identified as a unique illness. The views of psychiatrists pivotal to making this identification are described. The paper then goes on to discuss how these views affected what was considered to be effective treatment for schizophrenia (e.g., sedation) and delineates how the notion of what should constitute effective treatment changed over the years. The paper also explores various medications that were used to treat the condition.
According to Gamble and Brennan (2000), the effectiveness of medication for schizophrenia to relieve patients from psychotic symptoms is limited. Although patients have adequate medication, some received little or no benefit from it and almost half of them still experience psychotic symptoms. They are also more likely to suffer relapse (Gamble and Brennan, 2000). Furthermore, Valmaggia, et al. (2005) found that 50% of patients who fully adhere to anti-psychotic medication regimes still have ongoing positi...
According to the DSM-IV, schizophrenia is classified under the section of “Schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders”. Schizophrenia is one of the most serious major chronic brain disorders in the field of mental health; it is a neurological disorder that affects the cognitive functions of the human brain. People living with this incapacitating illness can experience multiple symptoms that will cause extreme strain in their own and their families and friends life. The individual can lose reality, unable to work, have delusions and hallucinations, may have disorganized speech and thought processes, will withdraw from people and activities, they may become suspicious and paranoid, may behave inappropriately in every day social situations. They may neglect personal hygiene and dress improperly, use excessive make-up; every day life is becoming chaotic for everyone involved.
There are several people every year that are diagnosed with a mental disorder. In the world’s entire population, more than one percent of people have been diagnosed with schizophrenia (Brain and Behavior Research Foundation). When thinking of the billions of people in the world, it might not seem like that many people but once the number of those diagnosed is calculated it seems much larger. Currently there are more than seventy million people in the world that have been diagnosed with schizophrenia, only diagnosed. There are probably several more people who have this disorder and have not been diagnosed or are unable to obtain the resources to be diagnosed.
Schizophrenia has always been a disorder shrouded in mystery. The misconceptions combined with a lack of knowledge of the disorder lead to a stigma to be placed upon people with the disorder.
Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness. Patients experience progressive personality changes and a breakdown in their relationships with the outside world. They have disorganized and abnormal thinking, behavior and language and become emotionally unresponsive or withdrawn.
There are many different diagnoses for mental problems these days from anxiety disorders to eating disorders and from mood disorders to obsessive-compulsive disorders. However, I am choosing to write about schizophrenia disorder because I believe that this type of disorder is one of the most dangerous of all mental problems. Throughout this paper I will describe the criteria doctors use to diagnose somebody with schizophrenia as well as the specific DSM-5 diagnostic criteria. This will include the clinical symptoms of schizophrenia such as the positive, negative, and disorganized symptoms. Also I will talk about the etiology and the medical and psychological treatments for schizophrenia. Lastly I will write about the impact this disorder has on the person and the people around them in the real world.
Schizophrenia has long been known as a psychotic disorder, having five different categories. The symptoms of Schizophrenia can include negative symptoms, hallucinations, disorganized speech and thought patterns. Also abnormal or disorganized motor behavior, and delusions. Many patients experience psychotic episodes, while some never experience psychosis. The objective of this study was to try and determine why
For quite a long time schizophrenia was perceived as a ‘functional disorder’ with some doctors saying it was a ‘sociological phenomenon’ (Gelder et al 1989) meaning’ patients with schizophrenia are normal people who are driven insane by an insane world’.
Despite the fact, doctors vocalize that it would be more effective to start treatment earlier rather than later” to ensure a better future, but they pay no mind to the consequences of taking the antipsychotics they prescribe (“Living With Schizophrenia” 1). Psychologists spend more time trying to find a cure for schizophrenia, and in result they aren’t doing enough research on the treatments that could potentially help a patient through more than just medication.
Schizophrenia is undeniably one of the most profound, and adverse psychological disorders known to date. The methodological approach to treating schizophrenia is complex and multi-variant. Much contention arises around the specific treatments and medication models used today in order to lessen the global and individual effects of the disorder. For this reason, I had a rather difficult time finding a method of treatment that seemed to display universal efficacy. Although it is seemingly negligible to find a universal method for treatment (due to the existential reality of science, and the disorder itself), there nonetheless should be an emphasis placed on the treatments that yield the most statistical and clinical significance. Simply put, I
Mental illnesses are diseases that plague a being’s mind and corrupts one’s thoughts and feelings. Schizophrenia is one of the many disastrous illnesses that consume one’s life, is known as a real disease that deserves much attention. Experts believe that what causes the illness is a defect in the gene’s of the brain, and little signs of schizophrenia are shown until about one’s early adult years. Some effects of schizophrenia can either be negative or positive, but even if the effects could be either one, people should still be aware that there is something puzzling and alarming happening in the mind of a schizophrenic patient.
Schizophrenia has long been a devastating mental illness and only recently have we begun to see an improvement in our capabilities to treat this disorder. The development of neuroleptics such as, Haldol, Risperidal, and Zyprexa have given psychiatrists, psychologists and their patients great hope in the battle against this mental disease. However, during the 1960s, drugs were not available and psychologists relied upon psychotherapy in order to treat patients.