Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is an often misunderstood illness. While it’s portrayed as scary or dangerous on TV and in movies, the reality is people with schizophrenia are more likely to harm themselves or be a victim of violent crime than others. The first step to ending the stigma around schizophrenia (and other serious mental illnesses) is to learn about it!
Schizophrenia is a mental illness characterized by an altered understanding of reality, specifically altered perceptions, hallucinations, abnormal thinking (e.g., delusions), disorganized speech, and more. Less than 1% of the US population has a diagnosis of schizophrenia.
Causes
There’s no one cause for schizophrenia. Scientists have noticed certain patterns that suggest that a combination of genetics, brain chemistry, and environment can all contribute to its development. The illness usually begins in late adolescence or early adulthood and is usually diagnosed after the first episode of psychosis.
Treatment
There is no cure for schizophrenia. When left untreated, schizophrenia can be a debilitating condition, affecting behavior, thoughts, speech, memory, motivation, hygiene, and many other key aspects of day-to-day life.
When treated consistently, however, those with schizophrenia can manage their condition and significantly reduce the likelihood of future episodes.
- Antipsychotic Medications: Psychiatric medications help reduce psychotic symptoms and are often the first step for those dealing with schizophrenia.
- Psychosocial Treatments: Cognitive behavioral therapy and other skill therapies can also mitigate different symptoms of schizophrenia, and are often paired with antipsychotic medications.
While taking medication and pursuing psychosocial therapies, it’s very important for the individual to avoid drugs and alcohol. People with schizophrenia are at a higher risk of substance abuse, which can exacerbate symptoms and delay effective recovery and treatment options.
In addition, the medications available today aren’t perfect and many have undesirable side effects, like weight gain. Individuals with schizophrenia may choose to stop their medication because of these side effects or because they believe the medications aren’t working well enough. Unfortunately, symptoms can come back even stronger once someone goes off their medication suddenly, so all changes in treatment should be discussed with a healthcare provider.
While there’s still much more to be learned about this illness and its treatments, we know that the current medications are better at preventing symptoms and improving long-term health, so it’s still in the individual’s best interest to take them as prescribed.