The Psychological Disorder of Schizophrenia

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death of a parent, poverty, violence, being the victim of emotional or physical abuse have been linked to an increased risk of developing the disorder.

Sadly, There is no known cure for schizophrenia, but there are a lot of treatments available, as well as interventions. Educating family and friends about the symptoms and providing the individual and their family with therapy and support, is shown to decrease a relapse, emotional improvement, and better personal relationships.

If interventions alone do not help or stabilize, it is important that the schizophrenic get treatment through the main source, medication. Medicine helps lesson the intensity of psychotic symptoms, while giving the patient an opportunity to experience a normal life.

There are many different kinds of medications that can be chosen to treat or manipulate schizophrenia; Antipsychotics, Mood stabilizers and Antidepressants. Antipsychotics can either be given orally or injected, and are often prescribed with another medication to provide a combination that will help the person receive the maximum benefit. Another medication that can be helpful is a mood stabilizer. This treats individuals with mood swings on top of the psychotic symptoms, and might take a little bit longer to work compared to the antipsychotics. Lastly, antidepressants that are mostly used for depression are often given to patients with schizophrenia because depression can also accompany the disorder. This medication affects the level of neurotransmitter, serotonin, and also with the dopamine levels in the brain, helping with mood stability(Dryden-Edwards, 2016).

Schizophrenia is an in depth psychological disorder. Even though there is no known cure, researchers will continue to analyze and discover new information on the biological and environmental causes. Interventions and medications give hope and provide helpful treatment. It’s extremely important to educate people with this debilitating disorder, especially if it runs in the family, or an individual is more susceptible.

References:

Edwards-Dryden, Roxanne, MD. (2016) Schizophrenia. Retrieved from http://www.medicinenet.com/schizophrenia/htm

Feldman, R. (2015) Essentials of Understanding Psychology (11th Ed) Schizophrenia, Psychological Disorders. Chapter 12, p474-478 New York, NY: McGraw Hill

Gilmore, H. John, MD. (2009) Understanding what Causes Schizophrenia: A Developmental Perspective. Volume 167. Issue, January 2010.The American Journal of Psychiatry. Retrieved from http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/appi.ajp.2009.09111588

Lilienfeld, O. Scott. (2010) Living with Schizophrenia, A Diagnosis of Schizophrenia is not Always Grands for Despair. Scientific American Mind. Retrieved from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/living-with-schizophrenia/