The disease schizophrenia remains to be a troubling one. When one says somebody is “schizophrenic”, it is generally connoted with being severely crazy. Well that craziness is merely a result of a physical irregularity in the body, or the brain. Yes, schizophrenia is a physical ailment, but its consequences are mental. It leads to a mental breakdown which would appear as “crazy” to other people. The nature of this disease remains to be vague, and medical science has yet to discover more about it. The same thing with the causes of schizophrenia- they're not fully known. Studies have cited that the disease is genetic in nature.
It’s because of bad genes, they say, and it runs in families. That’s what is often said about mental illnesses. Some people are predisposed to it- it’s in their genes as said. And later on triggers would appear. This would aggravate their predisposition to the disease until they develop it. They would then become
. The predicament of the mentally ill is further aggravated by the stigma attached to their illness. They're regarded as “crazy”. People mock them and regard them with shame and dislike. Even abhorrence. Such people are discriminated simply because their illness is misunderstood. What has to be acknowledged with mental health issues is that they're much like any other illnesses.
And a large number of patients have been treated and are able to live functional lives. So the causes of schizophrenia are mostly physical, in the brain’s workings and processes. Not much has been known about it yet, as said. But what of the treatment? Pharmaceutical drugs have been formulated to correct the
. Primarily there was clozapine. The schizophrenia medication clozapine is quite as effective as the newer drugs. But the problem with it is that the drug has many side effects. They are in fact severe. Then there are also newer drugs for the disease such as risperidone and olanzapine.
Just as effective as clozapine but with lesser side effects. There are also other modes of treatment such as ECT or electroconvulsive therapy. Such treatments are aimed on managing the disease and controlling the symptoms. As for the symptoms, they can be hallucinations and delusions. One salient symptom of a schizophrenic is their grandiose delusions. They have an aggrandized perception of themselves, thinking that they're a “cut above the rest”. Being “special” that they are, they think that others are trying to do them in. This is very fundamental to a schizophrenic- delusions of persecution and grandeur. These symptoms are those which treatments of the disease aim to eliminate or at least control.
often go hand in hand in treatment of schizophrenia. Proper psychiatric care, family support and group therapy are often helpful for a speedier recovery. Much has yet to be known about the causes of schizophrenia as well as its diagnosis and treatment. But if it strikes a person, it can be debilitating. Efforts should then be concentrated in treating the patient, and most often, they could not do it on their own. The disease has stripped them of themselves and their sanity. Such is why help and concern from close relations and family, friends and concerned agencies are necessary.
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