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Jul 15, 2006
Schizophrenia development
by SirGan
 Although many people are talking about it- not many of them know exactly what schizophrenia is really about! The term "schizophrenia" comes from the Greek and it translates roughly as "shattered mind”. Schizophrenia is not synonymous with multiple personality disorder or "split personality" but- in popular culture the two are often confused. Schizophrenia is a psychiatric disorders characterized by a mental impairments in the perception or expression of reality and by significant social or occupational dysfunction. Most common symptom that person with schizophrenia is experiencing are disorganized thinking, and delusions or auditory hallucinations. Although the disorder is primarily affecting cognition, important thing to know is that it can also contribute to chronic problems with behavior and emotion. Possible causes of schizophrenia developmentThere are many studies which tried to find the exact cause of this terrible disorder and most of them came to the conclusion that there are many possible causes which act simultaneously! Possible causes are:
It is reasonable that, because schizophrenia tends to run in families, experts have been trying to find specific genes which could increase a person's chance of developing the illness. And the most studies, especially on twins, have found that heredity plays an important role in the development of schizophrenia. If an identical twin raised separately from its twin develops schizophrenia, then the chance that the other twin will also develop it is 50% or 1 chance in 2.
Famous theory is one called Neurotransmitter-theory! Some studies have proposed that an imbalanced level of a specific neurotransmitter such as dopamine and serotonin could be the cause. Others indicate that an imbalance of these substances is the problem.
Many studies of people with schizophrenia have found abnormalities in brain structure.
Experts are also saying that schizophrenia may be a developmental disorder resulting when neurons form inappropriate connections during fetal development.
Several theories are supporting the role of viral infections in the development of schizophrenia. Viruses that could be responsible for the development of schizophrenia are poliovirus, the flu virus and a virus called encephalitis lethargica.
Complications during pregnancy, abnormal fetal growth and complications during delivery are significant risk factors in the development of schizophrenia. Those that play a significant role in the development of schizophrenia include:
There is no doubt- every traumatic head injury can cause symptoms of psychosis but the fact is that wow head injury plays a role in the development of schizophrenia-is unknown.
Several researches done in the past have proven that the main psychological trigger that can lead to the onset of symptoms of schizophrenia is stressful life events. Important thing to know is that social isolation is thought to pay an important role in such stresses.
Although most people don’t believe in this- It is a common incorrect belief that drug use causes schizophrenia. The fact is that drugs do not directly cause schizophrenia. The fact is, however, that certain drugs may cause a disturbance in the brain.
Symptoms of schizophreniaThe most important thing that should be known about Schizophrenia is that this disease is characterized by disruption in cognition and emotion, affecting the most fundamental human attributes:
Every expert knows that No single symptom is definitive for diagnosis.
Symptoms are typically divided into positive and negative symptoms because of their impact on diagnosis and treatment.
Positive symptomsThese symptoms appear to reflect an excess or distortion of normal functions. Most common positive symptoms are:
Delusions are firmly held erroneous beliefs due to exaggerations of reasoning and misinterpretations of perceptions or experiences.
Hallucinations are distortions or exaggerations of perception in any of the senses, although auditory hallucinations are the most common.
Disorganized speech or thinking is a key aspect of schizophrenia.
Grossly disorganized behavior includes difficulty in goal-directed behavior, unpredictable agitation or silliness, social problems, or behaviors that are bizarre.
These are characterized by a decrease in reaction to the immediate surrounding environment.
Negative symptomsThese symptoms appear to reflect a loss of normal functions and these symptoms. Most common negative symptoms are:
This is the reduction in the range and intensity of emotional expression, including facial expression, voice tone, eye contact, and body language.
Alogia means lessening of speech fluency and productivity, thought to reflect slowing or blocked thoughts, and often manifested as short, empty replies to questions.
This is the reduction, difficulty, or inability to initiate and persist in goal-directed behavior; it is often mistaken for apparent disinterest.
Types of schizophrenia
Symptoms are characteristic. These persons are very suspicious of others and often have grand ideas of persecution at the root of their behavior. Hallucinations, and more frequently delusions, are a prominent and common part of the illness. All this is accompanied with anxiety, anger, violence and argumentativeness.
Person suffering from this type is verbally incoherent and may have moods and emotions that are not appropriate to the situation.
In this case, the person is extremely withdrawn, negative and isolated, and has marked psychomotor disturbances. It is all accompanied with motor disturbances, stupor, negativism, rigidity and agitation, inability to take care of personal needs and decreased sensitivity to painful stimulus.
In this case the person is not currently suffering from delusions, hallucinations, or disorganized speech and behavior, but lacks motivation and interest in day-to-day living.
These people have symptoms of schizophrenia as well as mood disorder such as major depression, bipolar mania, or mixed mania.
Common symptoms of this type are incoherence, regressive behavior, flat affect, delusions, hallucinations, inappropriate laughter, repetitive mannerisms and social withdrawal.
How is schizophrenia treated?Because the causes of schizophrenia are still unknown, current treatments focus on eliminating the symptoms of the disease.
These medications can effectively alleviate the positive symptoms of schizophrenia. While these drugs have greatly improved the lives of many patients, they do not cure schizophrenia.
The older antipsychotic medications include:
Problem is that these older medications can cause extra pyramidal side effects, such as rigidity, persistent muscle spasms, tremors, and restlessness.
But later, new drugs, called atypical antipsychotics, were developed that rarely produced these side effects. Some of the drugs that were developed after clozapine was introduced are
Psychosocial treatmentThere is no doubt- numerous studies have found that psychosocial treatments can help patients to deal with certain aspects of schizophrenia, such as:
It is based on learning and using coping mechanisms to address these problems allows people with schizophrenia to attend school, work, and socialize. Patients who receive regular psychosocial treatment also adhere better to their medication schedule and have fewer relapses and hospitalizations.
PrognosisImportant thing to know is that there are many different potential outcomes of schizophrenia. Good thing is that most people with schizophrenia find that their symptoms improve with medication, and some achieve substantial control of the symptoms over time. However, unfortunately-others experience functional disability and are at risk for repeated acute episodes, particularly during the early stages of the illness.
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