What is Schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is a mental illness that disturbs a person's mental functioning affecting the way they think, feel and act. It usually begins in between the ages of 15 and 25, during adolescents or early adulthood, although it may manifest in the elderly. The onset time of schizophrenia varies from individual to individual and may be rapid (over a few days) or slow (over a few months). Some people do recover from schizophrenia and most find their symptoms improve over time. However for some it is a prolonged, and often debilitating, illness. To date it remains unclear to what causes schizophrenia but is thought to be a combination of factors which are:

· Genetic disposition: it is thought that some people are born with a predisposition

· Biochemical factors: such as a chemical imbalance in the brain

· Environmental factors: stressful life events or the use of drugs

Diagnosis

Schizophrenia is not easy to diagnose. Some of the symptoms can be attributed to other causes for example hallucinations and delusions may be a symptom of a brain infection, brain tumour or abuse of certain drugs over a long period of time.

Symptoms of schizophrenia include delusions, hallucinations, thought disorder, abnormal emotions or feelings, lack of insight, loss of energy and/or motivation.

Many doctors will not diagnose schizophrenia until a number of the symptoms are present. Before making a diagnosis most medical practitioners first make observations, then interview the families, and will often seek the assistance of trained staff before making a definitive diagnoses.

Medication

The most effective way to treat schizophrenia is with antipsychotic medication which help to restore the brain's chemical balance and with it the person's mental functioning.

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a type of therapy that is rarely used in the treatment of schizophrenia, however it may be used to treat an extreme form of schizophrenia known as 'Catatonic Schizophrenia' in which all movement of body stops. Patients are given an anaesthetic and muscle relaxants and then a low level electrical current is passed through the brain.

Complementary Therapies

Supportive treatments such as psychotherapy are often used to treat depressive symptoms. These therapies may be useful in assisting the person in understanding the illness and the symptoms they experience when an episode is imminent. There are many variations of psychotherapy including cognitive therapy, behavioural therapy, or cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT).

Community support programs and psychosocial management also play an important role in the treatment of schizophrenia. These forms of support should include information; living skills; accommodation; training; education or employment assistance; psychosocial rehabilitation. Social clubs and community activities will also help the person maintain their social and work skills.

Cognitive therapy - These therapies aim challenge a persons self-defeating thinking and to encourage them to view themselves in a more positive way.

Behavioural therapy - These therapies focus less on self awareness and more on modifying the problem behaviours.

Cognitive-Behavioural therapy - These therapies are a combination of cognitive therapy and behavioural therapy. Therefore the aim of the therapy is to modify problem behaviours whilst still focusing on self awareness and challenging self-defeating thinking.