Schizophrenia

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Video: Schizophrenia

Video: Schizophrenia
Video: Schizophrenia - causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment & pathology 2024, March
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
Anonim

What is schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is a psychosis that has various manifestations - delirium, neuropsychiatric agitation, hallucinations. Leads to disruption of normal mental activity, impairs a person's adaptability to social and working conditions. The word schizophrenia comes from Greek and literally means "divided consciousness", but the condition is not the same as the split personality. The disease is mainly characterized by misinterpretations and interpretations of the surrounding world.

A person's thinking and perceptions change and over time the clarity of consciousness and intellectual potential is disturbed. Schizophrenia affects the basic functions that give a sense of individuality and independence. People in the age range of 16-30 most often suffer. Schizophrenia, which arose at an early period, does not allow a person to complete their education and learn a profession, and hinders the creation of a family.

In its essence schizophrenia is a disease of the brain that, when changed, begins to cause a number of symptoms. The disease has extremely many symptoms, which speaks of affecting a number of brain systems formed by brain structures and formations.

Types of schizophrenia

Paranoid schizophrenia - hallucinations and delusions predominate. Delusions are expressed mainly in thoughts of grandeur and persecution, as well as atypical changes in the body. Patients hear voices commanding or threatening them, as well as a conversation about themselves. They can also hear noises. The first period of this form of the disease is in the late 20s or in the 30s per person.

Disorganized schizophrenia - is characterized by the presence of torn and illogical speech, strange behavior and inconsistency with thoughts and objective reality. Speech is poor, a person's thinking goes beyond the essence of the problem. There is often repetition of thoughts and words, distraction, use of imaginary words. It starts at an earlier age.

Catatonic schizophrenia - manifests itself with a strong reduction of movements, to the point of immobility. It is possible to manifest itself with strong motor activity and negativism. Patients with this form of schizophrenia they can stay for a long time in strange, awkward and bizarre poses. In many cases they do not speak.

Residual schizophrenia - Patients with this type of schizophrenia have had symptoms of other types of the disease in the past. The residual form is manifested by negative symptoms, passivity, lack of initiative, poor speech, poor nonverbal communication.

Types of schizophrenia
Types of schizophrenia

Non-differential schizophrenia - There are some symptoms of the disease, but they are not enough to determine to which form of schizophrenia they belong.

Simple schizophrenia - begins gradually, barely noticeable strange behavior, change in personality and relationships with others. The quality of work skills begins to decline. The disease progresses slowly, stimuli and interests decrease, aimlessness, emptiness and isolation appear. There is apathy, poverty in speech, lack of initiative. There are no hallucinations, dementia or other mental disorders.

Symptoms of schizophrenia

The symptoms of schizophrenia are divided into two major groups - positive and negative symptoms.

Positive symptoms include:

Hallucinations - appear during periods of attacks of the disease. The most common are auditory hallucinations. Somatic hallucinations may also occur - sensations of touch, stings or crawling of insects on the skin. Patients may have odor and taste hallucinations.

Delusions, distorted and false thoughts - the most common delusions and thoughts are for persecution by government agencies and neighbors, relatives and friends. Some patients imagine that the world does not exist or their heart does not work. Others think they have amazing abilities or a noble background. Some believe that another person commands their thinking, inserts or takes away thoughts in their head.

These two types of symptoms and delusions belong to the so-called. positive symptoms and are at the root of the condition psychotic. Delusions are positive symptoms that are changes in thought processes.

Torn thinking - the connection between the different parts of the thought is weakened, which is the reason for the difficulty of achieving logic or losing the logic of thought. Both types of symptoms - delusions and torn thinking refer to two types of changes in the same process - the mental. The first changes are changes in the content of thinking, and the second are formal disorders of thinking.

Fragmentation of social behavior - deteriorating behavior of patients among others. Those affected are dirty and unmaintained, wearing short or extremely inappropriate clothing. Their homes are untidy and uncleaned. The deterioration of social behavior is expressed in ridiculous and completely inadequate manifestations in public places.

Negative symptoms

This group of schizophrenic manifestations includes conditions in which some mental functions are less pronounced. Negative symptoms include poor speech and lack of reaction, mood swings and lethargy. These include lack of pleasure and distractions.

Attention Deficit Disorder - An inability to concentrate.

Patients cannot make sense of the information they receive and their daily tasks. Thinking is fragmented and people are confused.

Phases of schizophrenia

Symptoms of schizophrenia
Symptoms of schizophrenia

Prodromal phase - this is the beginning of the disease, which is gradual and invisible to others. It begins with minor changes in mood, lack of will in the patient and the emergence of strange and crazy ideas.

Active phase - begins the appearance of hallucinations and delusions. Changes can happen very quickly, in just a few days. The patient's behavior becomes inconsistent and illogical, there is no completeness in the actions. Emotions do not correspond to what is happening.

Residual phase - the symptoms characteristic of the active phase are missing here. During the last phase, the negative symptoms appear.

Diagnosis of schizophrenia

Early diagnosis schizophrenia is very difficult due to the inability of a person to realize the problem and the many prejudices associated with this disease. Based on the patient's symptoms, the doctor makes a diagnosis, but in the later stages of the disease.

Treatment of schizophrenia

This is a completely curable disease that can be suppressed thanks to proper treatment. Drugs are used - antipsychotics, which have high efficiency and safety. Atypical antipsychotics are used to control symptoms and prevent new ones. In addition to the application of medical treatment, an integral part of the therapy is psychological support, inclusion in various psychosocial rehabilitations, assistance from family and relatives.

The ultimate goal of treatment is to restore the social functions of patients, achieve satisfaction and improve quality of life. An important prerequisite for success is building trust between patient and doctor. Thus, the patient will follow his therapy and will take the prescribed pills regularly. It is extremely important that treatment is not stopped prematurely, as symptoms may worsen.

The article is informative and does not replace a consultation with a doctor!

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