Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia affects 1 in 300 people around the world. The condition impairs all areas of life, including mental, social, educational, occupational, and physical functioning. The impairment can make it hard for patients to live a decent life independently.
Fortunately, with proper inpatient treatment for Schizophrenia, the affected can lead a near-normal life with fewer limitations. Learn more about the causes, treatment, and triggers of Schizophrenia from Eden By Enhance to make informed care decisions.
WHAT IS
Schizophrenia?
Schizophrenia is a lifelong condition that impairs one’s cognitive function. Affected people lose touch with the reality of life and develop difficulties socializing, communicating, learning, and working.
Though lifelong, mental wellness practitioners manage symptoms with a schizophrenia treatment program and medications. It affects all genders equally, but more male patients tend to experience an early onset of symptoms.
SYMPTOMS OF
Schizophrenia
Withdrawal is the first symptom noted in schizophrenic patients. Often, patients withdraw from family, school, work, play, and friends. They may become preoccupied with the fixated and disturbing thoughts associated with this mental health disorder.
Patients could think their parents want to poison them, authorities monitor their moves, and friends are planning to harm them. The symptoms begin in the mid-20s to the mid-30s — though some patients can get symptoms as early as 13 years.
Delusions
Schizophrenic patients often develop untrue solid beliefs. For instance, the patients can assume that they are exceptionally famous, some gestures are directed at them, their spouses are cheating, or someone is spying on them. The beliefs are often untrue
Hallucination
Besides delusions, people with Schizophrenia hear, smell, taste, or feel nonexistent things. For example, the patients can feel like bugs are creeping into their skin, while there is nothing to cause such alarm. Others hear voices, footsteps, or door banging in clearly quiet surroundings.
Impaired Speech
Patients with Schizophrenia present with several psychomotor issues. For instance, they move up and down excessively, have larger reaction times, and do not change their facial expression. The patients can also stand or sit in a bizarre position or remain unresponsive throughout the day.
Impaired Psychomotor
Patients with Schizophrenia present with several psychomotor issues. For instance, they move up and down excessively, have larger reaction times, and do not change their facial expression. The patients can also stand or sit in a bizarre position or remain unresponsive throughout the day.
CAUSES OF
Schizophrenia
Doctors link Schizophrenia to underlying genetic issues since it tends to run in families with one or more schizophrenic patients. Besides genetics, NHS Website for England connects this long-term mental condition to other concerns with this mental health condition.
Attending an inpatient treatment center allows patients to invest all their time and energy into getting better. With the noise and chaos of the outside world far away, residential depression treatment gives individuals a greater chance at success.
Many people who suffer from depression can overcome it with medication and counseling alone. However, there are cases where depression is so severe that a patient may pose a physical threat to themselves or others. When depression becomes life-threatening or insurmountable, residential depression treatment should be the preferred treatment option.
Birth Complications
A significant percentage of people with Schizophrenia experienced some complications during birth. Such complications include fetal malnutrition, low birth weight, premature birth, and asphyxia during delivery. Birth complications increase a child’s risk for Schizophrenia fivefold.
Imbalance in Neurotransmitters
Studies indicate that an imbalance between the body’s most significant neurotransmitters, dopamine, and serotonin, can lead to Schizophrenia. In particular, overstimulation or under-stimulation of dopamine is known to trigger the condition. Moreover, a serotonin deficiency can lead to this mental condition.
Childhood Truama
A significant percentage of people living with Schizophrenia experienced stressful life events and trauma. For that reason, mental wellness practitioners claim that childhood trauma could be another significant cause of Schizophrenia.
TRIGGERS FOR
Psychotic Break
Withdrawal is the first symptom noted in schizophrenic patients. Often, patients withdraw from family, school, work, play, and friends. They may become preoccupied with the fixated and disturbing thoughts associated with this mental health disorder.
Patients could think their parents want to poison them, authorities monitor their moves, and friends are planning to harm them. The symptoms begin in the mid-20s to the mid-30s — though some patients can get symptoms as early as 13 years.
Drug Abuse
Street drugs like LSD, cocaine, cannabis, alcohol, and amphetamines can trigger paranoia and psychosis. This trigger can increase the likelihood of a psychotic break for patients with Schizophrenia. The risk for psychosis increases if the drug user is a teenager or a young adult.
Intense Stress
When stress rises to uncontrollable levels, the affected individuals experience a break from reality, especially if they have Schizophrenia. Such stress could come from grief, break ups, emotional abuse, divorce, job loss, or physical abuse.
Use of Some Prescribed Medicines
Some prescribed medicines can trigger psychosis as a side effect. Other patients experience psychosis when withdrawing from the prolonged use of such drugs. These medications may include:
- Amphetamines
- Opioids
- Benzodiazepines
- Fluoroquinolones
- Methylphenidate
- Corticosteroids
- Antiepileptics
- Antipsychotics
- Isotretinoin
- Antidepressants
INPATIENT TREATMENT FOR
Schizophrenia
A significant percentage of people with Schizophrenia experienced some complications during birth. Such complications include fetal malnutrition, low birth weight, premature birth, and asphyxia during delivery. Birth complications increase a child’s risk for Schizophrenia fivefold.
Antipsychotic Drugs
Antipsychotic drugs are the first line of treatment for patients with Schizophrenia. They help prevent common symptoms of Schizophrenia like aggression, anxiety, hallucinosis, and delusional thoughts.
Health specialists in residential treatment centers for Schizophrenia can use second-generation antipsychotic medications, first-generation antipsychotic drugs, or long-acting injectables to treat the condition.
First- and second-generation antipsychotics block dopamine receptors, calming psychotic symptoms. Though both drugs work effectively, mental health experts prefer second-generation psychotics since they have fewer side effects.
Long-acting injectables act like second and first-generation drugs, but their antipsychotic effects last longer. A single dose can last for two weeks or one month, relieving loved ones from the hassle of taking medicines regularly.
Psychological Treatment
In addition to antipsychotic drugs, residential treatment centers for Schizophrenia use a set of psychological treatments to manage symptoms. These symptoms may include hallucinosis, psychosis, aggression, delusions, and other negative behaviors.
Depending on the patient’s condition, experts can manage the long-term mental illness by:
- Arts Therapy: As the name suggests, in this therapy, therapists use the power of creative arts like drawing and sculpting to improve psychomotor function, social skills, and self-awareness.
- Cognitive behavioral therapy: Psychologists use this treatment to treat various symptoms of Schizophrenia, including depression, anxiety, aggressiveness, and difficulty concentrating.
- Family therapy: Since family members play a significant role in managing Schizophrenia, therapists use family therapy to help caregivers communicate smoothly with the patient, alongside solving conflicts amicably.
- Individual Therapy: In individual therapy, mental wellness experts help patients identify the areas they would like to improve and work towards attaining the desired change. The treatment enhances a patient's confidence and coping skills.
Outpatient Treatment for Schizophrenia
Though inpatient treatment for Schizophrenia is the best arrangement for schizophrenic patients, it might not be ideal for everyone. Perhaps the caregivers wish to watch over their loved ones by themselves or want to cut down the costs of care.
Whichever the reason, the caregivers can opt for outpatient treatment coupled with partial hospitalization as an alternative. Outpatient therapy for Schizophrenia gives patients a chance to recover near loved ones, in a surrounding they are used to.
Learn More About Schizophrenia Treatment
FROM EDEN BY ENHANCE
Eden by Enhance is one of the most prominent residential treatment centers for Schizophrenia in California. We work with a team of mental health specialists, using a combination of innovative approaches, holistic philosophies, and time-tested therapies.
Our team of mental health professionals is well-versed in treating people diagnosed with schizophrenia. We work with patients to manage their symptoms and help them live happier and healthier life. Contact us to learn more about our program and how we can assist your schizophrenic loved ones.
