Schizophrenia usually begins to affect men in their late teen years while most women experience its onset between the mid twenties and early thirties. It is seen about equally in men and women and it affects about 1% of the population (one in 100 people). People with a close relative who has schizophrenia have a higher incidence rate. (10% or ten in 100 persons). 60% of all persons who suffer from schizophrenia have no genetic influence.
Instructions
Know what You are Fighting
1. Get a working definition. Schizophrenia from the Greek schizo (split) and phrene (mind) is a chemical and electrical brain disorder in which neural twists create problems in thought, sound, sight, and other brain functions that are perceived and experienced as real, although they are not.
2. Know the warning signs. The early warning signs of schizophrenia include sleep disorder, an inability to concentrate, inappropriate or unusual emotional reactions, and hyperactivity. Sudden oversensitivity, paranoia, hostility and a lack of concern about appearance or hygiene are also warning signs.
3. Get an accurate early diagnosis. Medical doctor and psychiatrists or psychologists will usually work together on this. The doctors will generally perform a battery of tests before giving a definitive diagnosis of schizophrenia. These include a medical history, a physical exam, a mental health assessment, blood work, EEG, CT scan, MRI, a smell test and a suicide risk assessment for patients who are depressed or are showing warning signs. Not all patients will show all of the signs but all should show a poor or decreased ability to function for at least six months.
4. Throw away your misconceptions. Schizophrenia has long been plagued by frightening myths that many people still ascribe to. It is still associated with the idea of multiple personalities, which is a separate and much rarer disorder. Persons with schizophrenia experience fragmented thought processes and confusion about what they perceive and what is real. They have no trouble with memory blackouts when they assume another persona.
5. Stop the erroneous assumptions. Schizophrenia has long been associated with criminal violence. This is not a given for every person. Some persons with schizophrenia become violent, usually due to a break with reality or delusional thinking, but many do not. Many also believe that schizophrenia is a rare disorder when in fact about 1 in 100 persons in the US are believed to.
6. Know what to expect. Although many can become symptom free most of the time, with proper medical care and medication, you should understand the behaviors that accompany the disorder. Persons with schizophrenia experience positive symptoms (those which are present but not seen in the general population) and negative symptoms (those which are seen in the general population but not in those with the disorder). Positive symptoms include delusions, hallucinations, fragmented or disrupted thoughts and behavior, inappropriate or disorganized behavior and social disinhibition or the inability to control impulses or behaviors.
7. Understand the person inside the illness. The important thing to remember about all these symptoms is that if the person is talking about this or acting it out, they truly believe it to be the truth. This is not an illness that reasoning or will power or arguing can control. These persons are not unintelligent (they have the same IQ range as others), playing games, or slacking and they are not choosing to let go of reality. Schizophrenia is not about a person's will or intentions. It is about their brain which misfires chemically and electrically and produces thoughts and feelings that seem just as real to that person as perceptions are to anyone else. The only thing that will help a person with schizophrenia is good medical and psychiatric care.
8. Know how the symptoms work. Delusions are false beliefs about one's self or surroundings, which can take many forms. Believing messages are encoded on the cereal box, or that they are Napoleon or Jesus, or that the earth is growing and shrinking at their command or that they are the secret head of the FBI are typical types of delusions. Hallucinations are sensory experiences where things may be heard, smelled, seen or felt that are not really there. Hearing voices, although common, does not happen to all. Smelling and seeing things are also sometimes present.
9. Understand what happens in a patient's understanding. Thoughts can be disrupted and fragmented, and persons may give nonsensical answers to questions or they may just speak and wander off into something absurd. Behaviors can include rocking, pacing, or just acting in ways that are out of context with what's going on. Disorganized behaviors can include an inability to perform tasks necessary to daily living such as washing, eating or dressing. Childish silliness, bizarre movements, agitation and the inability to behave in socially acceptable ways may all be present.
10. Negative behaviors can include a blunted affect which is a lack of appropriate facial expression, voice intonation or eye contact. Avolition is a form of social withdrawal and a lack of ordinary or usual enthusiasm. Catatonic behavior is a lack of awareness of the environment. Those with this disorder may move their arms or legs excessively for no reason, develop bizarre body postures, or sit and stare for long periods of time. Alogia refers to speech disruptions including disconnected replies, a loss of fluency or the inability to converse sensibly at all.
11. Getting the best treatment includes medication. Expect a trial and error period to determine the proper meds and dosages. After doctors find the proper medications about 70 percent of people see vast improvements. (Drugs are better at controlling the positive than the negative symptoms.) Other treatment options, used in conjunction with medication include nutritional supplements, support groups, psychosocial or cognitive therapy, day rehabilitation programs and in some very severe cases, ECT (electroconvulsive therapy) is used.
12. Journal to get the best information to the doctor. The patient or caretaker should write down medications and doses, symptoms, drug side effects and behaviors. Note which symptoms are helped and which are not and any new behaviors or problems the drugs may be causing. These notes will help to speed up the process of finding the best treatment as quickly as possible. Note that antipsychotics can not work at full efficiency for up to several months in some people. Symptoms will reduce gradually over this time. Although all doctors want patients symptom-free, that is not always possible. Instead many will lessen symptoms to the point where they aren't harmful and the patient can live decently with this rather than staying on the medicine merry go round for a longer time.
13. Set reasonable goals. Patients may experience tiredness, lethargy or a greater need for sleep than before. Recuperating from schizophrenia is a slow process that will take time and patience. Give the patient the time and emotional support they need to help them ease back into social situations as comfortably as possible. Stress and pressure will only exacerbate symptoms and make the process take that much longer.
14. See the big picture. Persons with schizophrenia will have to manage their disorder for the rest of their lives but, with help from medications and supportive persons and therapies, many can usually lead full and rewarding lives.
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