Schizophrenia 101

What is schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that can cause hallucinations, delusions and unorganized movement and speech. It interferes with thinking and motivation to a extent that can be switched off. These symptoms, which are characteristics of psychosis (Losing contact with reality), differences between people in severity and frequency. In humans, people are usually diagnosed between the age of 16 and 30And women tend to have a later start than men. Early, consistent treatment relieves symptoms, while stress, alcohol and illegal drugs tend to apply or increase the intensity of the symptoms.

Although they are often depicted as violent, people with this disease are not more violent than other people – in fact, they may be more vulnerable to be the target of violence.

What causes schizophrenia?

Although schizophrenia has no known cause, studies have geneetics, substance use, brain injury and stress linked to the appearance of symptoms.

Who influences schizophrenia?

The rates of schizophrenia do not vary greatly around the world. About 1% of the population lives with the mental illness, and women and men are affected as much. In the US, about 2 million people, or 1 in 100is supposed to have schizophrenia.

What are signs of schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is often diagnosed incorrectly and difficult to detect too early. The first warning signals are also symptoms of other mental disorders, such as depression, substance use or bipolar disorder. The Schizophrenia & Psychosis Action Alliance orders a professional in mental health care if you notice drastic behavioral changes in a loved one. Early diagnosis and rapid treatment can improve the results.

Early signs of schizophrenia can be:

• Dramatic weight losses or profits
• Inattention of hygiene
• Problems understand others
• Restless relationships
• Poor school performance
• Reduced motivation
• Social withdrawal
• Extreme emotional reactions, such as outbursts, screaming or crying uncontrolled

Later symptoms of schizophrenia fall into three categories:

• Psychotic are sometimes called ‘positive’ symptoms because they are abnormally present. Psychotic Change the way a person understands and communicates the world. They include hallucinations – feel things that are not there – or imagine – strong beliefs that seem irrational for others. Psychotic symptoms can be heard of voices, believe that you are being followed or believes that you are a famous or historical figure. These symptoms seem very real for the person she experiences.
• Negative Consult abnormally absent properties, such as flat emotional expressions, Withdrawal from social contactReduced motivation, reduced speech and a reduced experience of pleasure. People with negative symptoms use a monotonous voice, make few facial expressions or can even stop moving and talking – a condition that is known as catatonia. Negative symptoms can sometimes be confused with symptoms of depression.
• DOrganized and cognitive symptoms Consult confused and unordered speech and thinking, reduced decision -making and the inability to plan and implement daily activities such as groceries. Managing cognitive symptoms through treatment can greatly improve daily functioning and the ability to live independently.

How is schizophrenia different for women versus men?

The age of diagnosis and symptoms of schizophrenia can differ for men and women. Schizophrenia tends to present in men in men in a earlier age in their late teenage years until mid-20 while symptoms in women usually appear in their late 20s and early thirty.

Late-aging schizophrenia, which presents after the age of 45, is more common in women. Some studies suggest that this is explained by the falling levels of estrogen during perimenopause and menopause. Symptoms of late schizophrenia can include severe paranoid delusions, visual and odor hallucinations and tactile hallucinations that may feel like insects that crawl on the skin.

In general, women more often have the emotional instability that can come with every type of schizophrenia. Symptoms can be:

• Depression
• Impulsiveness
• Emotional instability
• Sexual delusions

How to get a diagnosis for schizophrenia and seek care

Family and friends can play a crucial role in the diagnosis of schizophrenia because people with this mental illness often cannot recognize that they have it. Identifying the disease and starting treatment improves the chance of a person to reduce psychotic episodes and successfully reduce the disease.

Unfortunately, there is no test that can diagnose schizophrenia, but a professional in mental health care can diagnose the condition by viewing and evaluating the symptoms of a person over six months. During this time, the medical team will exclude other options, such as other mental disorders, abuse of resources and brain tumors.

A general practitioner can help you by referring to a specialist in mental health care. For the first appointment for you or a loved one will help to prepare:

• A list of observed symptoms, even those who are not related to schizophrenia or mental disorders
• A history of family health, including mental disorders
• Important information about stressors or life changes
• A list of medicines or supplements that are currently being used
• A list of questions that you or your loved one could have

How is schizophrenia managed?

There is no remedy for schizophrenia, but there are treatment options that can reduce or control symptoms, prevent future psychotic episodes and improve the daily functioning of a person. There are several antipsychotic drugs Available and newer treatments. One of these newer treatments is a recently approved muscarinic agonist, which means that it stimulates certain types of receptors in your body. This is the first medicine of its kind, and it takes a new approach to the treatment of schizophrenia symptoms, while avoiding difficult side effects associated with other antipsychotics. Some medicines are used daily by pill, while others can be given by injection once or twice a month. The purpose of the prescribing doctor is to find the medicine that controls the symptoms of a person, the lowest possible dose.

Medication must be taken if part of an extensive plan This includes social support and therapy. Examples of this are Talk -Therapy, Vocational Training and Social Skills Training and Employment and Educational Services. People who coordinate their medical care with this support is known to have less acute episodes and hospital admissions.

Other factors that contribute to a better quality of life for people who live with schizophrenia include proactive management of triggers and stress, maintaining good sleeping habits, avoiding alcohol and drugs and giving priority to social connections.

What are common barriers to treatment and well -being for people with schizophrenia?

One of the challenges in the treatment of schizophrenia is to guarantee the continuity of care. This includes supporting people in consistent taking their medicines and access to vital services. An important factor is that psychosis can change the perception of reality, making it difficult for individuals to recognize their condition or the need for treatment. This and other factors result in approximately 1 in 2 people with schizophrenia who stop their treatment – a statistics that illustrates why the life expectancy of the average schizophrenia patient is shortened by an average of an average 28.5 years.

Another barrier for treatment is that there is an important stigma around schizophrenia because it is often misunderstood, which can be partly due to how it is depicted in regular media. The stigma can come from the outside, but also from the inside, and any stigma – regardless of the source – can prevent people from seeking medical help and continuing treatment.

The financial toll of schizophrenia can also be steep. Direct health care costs form part of the financial burden, while factors such as not being able to work and make complex social service providers schizophrenia more expensive than other chronic medical conditions.

Insurance can also cause barriers to access to treatment. Antipsychotic drugs fall under Medicare Part D, Medicaid and most private health insurance policies, but even with coverage the specific medicine you need cannot be covered under your plan – or even if this is the case, depending on what Low level It is, it can still be expensive.

Many insurance companies also use User management programsApplying aids for cost management, such as step therapy and prior authorization for complex circumstances such as schizophrenia. Step therapy requires you to try to fail certain treatments before others fall under your insurance. And prior authorization requires that you get permission from your insurance company before it pays. This can lead to people being forced to try a number of treatments that do not work for them or are stuck to older medicines because newer is more likely to require step therapy and prior permission. These extra requirements can ensure that people do not receive the medication or treatment they need on time – or not even at all.

Lack of access to treatment can lead to increased visits to first aid, hospital admissions, imprisonment and experiencing homelessness in people with schizophrenia.

Yet the vast majority of people with the disease are not homeless and live with family, in group houses or independent.