Mental illnesses are highly controversial. On the one hand, such a diagnosis often becomes a stigma in the eyes of society. They avoid communicating with a person, they do not hire him, he can be considered disabled, unpredictable and even dangerous. The names of mental illnesses become a source of offensive expressions such as "crazy" and "crazy". On the other hand, such diagnoses are covered with a veil of mystery. A man has schizophrenia - is he a genius? Is he special? Does he communicate with aliens or otherworldly forces? In general, there are too many myths and prejudices in society about this and little real knowledge. And this is not the best way reflected in the situation of mental patients. Therefore, everyone will benefit from being aware of these issues.
But it's not idle curiosity that motivates some people to take an interest in schizophrenia. People who noticedoddities in perception or behavior in themselves, relatives or friends, they want to understand whether a person with such features can be a carrier of the diagnosis. And those who have already been diagnosed, doubt whether it is correct. After all, psychiatry is a dark business!
Mental illness
You need to understand that schizophrenia is one of the most famous mental illnesses, but psychiatry is not limited to it. In domestic science, the following classification of diseases is distinguished: endogenous, endogenous-organic, somatogenic and exogenous-organic, as well as psychogenic and personality disorders. Schizophrenia refers to endogenous mental illness, just like manic-depressive psychosis and cyclothymia. Such diseases develop primarily not under the influence of external circumstances, but on the basis of hereditary factors.
The next group includes diseases in which a person develops brain damage. They often have movement disorders. Endogenous-organic include epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, senile dementia and many other similar diagnoses.
The third group includes diseases that develop under the influence of external factors - injuries, infections, diseases, as well as exposure to toxic substances such as alcohol and drugs.
The fourth includes disorders that occur under the influence of stress, namely, neurosis, psychosis, somatogenic disorders. True, neurosis is not entirely correct to attribute to mental illness. It is considered a borderline disorder. By the way, depression also belongs to the areapsychiatry. This does not mean that you should shun a friend or relative in such a state, or label him as "abnormal". But at the same time, it should be understood that calls to cheer up and enjoy life cannot be cured of this disorder, and serious medical assistance may be required.
Personality disorders include psychopathy, mental retardation and other delays or distortions in mental development.
What is schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is defined as an endogenous polymorphic mental illness. It constitutes a serious social problem. About 60% of hospital patients and about 80% of mentally disabled people have this diagnosis. At the same time, only in some cases this disease leads to disability. Much more often, a person can lead a full life, have a family and work. Schizophrenia progresses differently in different people. In some cases, the symptoms practically do not disappear from the life of the patient, in others, he can live in an adequate condition for many years and only occasionally suffer from bouts of psychosis.
Forms of schizophrenia. Paranoid
Don't think that mental illness is a homogeneous phenomenon, and all people with schizophrenia are alike. Psychiatrists distinguish several forms of this disease: paranoid, hebephrenic, catatonic and simple.
Paranoid - the most common form, it includes 70% of patients with schizophrenia. And it is she who determines the ideas of society about schizophrenics. Paranoia is Greek for "against the point". And it's prettyaccurately reflects the essence of the disease.
The main symptom of schizophrenia in this form is delirium. These are groundless judgments, which, unfortunately, cannot be corrected. The most common delusions of persecution. A little less often - delirium of greatness, love, jealousy. Delusion in its explicit form does not appear immediately, but goes through 3 stages of development - expectations, insight and streamlining. At the waiting stage, a person is filled with anxious forebodings. It seems to a schizophrenic patient that something must certainly change in him and in the world. Such premonitions sometimes haunt he althy, but anxious people. But in this case they are most often connected with the circumstances of the external world. And here the only reason for them is the condition of the patient himself. And now the premonitions finally turn into insight - the patient has moved to the second stage of delirium. Now he feels like he knows exactly what the reason is. But this knowledge is still not enough to connect with reality. And finally, in the third stage, "revelation" is overgrown with facts and explanations. For example, a patient with persecution mania develops a complex conspiracy scheme.
A crazy idea becomes the core of the worldview of a schizophrenic patient. Every situation, every act of others, word, gesture, intonation are interpreted from the point of view of delirium and only confirm his assumptions for the patient.
Often all this is supplemented by hallucinations. And they, too, are usually subordinated to this idea. For example, a patient, passing by old women on a bench, can quite clearly “hear” how they agreed to kill him. After that no one canconvince.
Hebephrenic
This form appears earlier, usually in adolescence. But it is not so easy to recognize it in the early stages. How do patients with schizophrenia behave in this form? The behavior of a teenager resembles ordinary pranks. He is active, mobile, loves jokes, grimaces. Some may be prone to cruelty and sadism. It is easy to blame all this on the age crisis or lack of education. But over time, the antics and grimaces become more and more strange, speech - confused and incomprehensible, jokes - creepy. At this stage, parents and teachers discover that something suspicious is happening with a teenager and turn to a psychiatrist. The disease develops rapidly and the prognosis is unfortunately poor.
Catonic
Catatonia is a special movement disorder. A person with this form of schizophrenia may alternate between freezing and motor arousal. The postures of patients with schizophrenia are very pretentious and unnatural. It would be simply inconvenient for a he althy person to remain in this position for a long time. Sometimes the symptoms do not affect the whole body, but only part of the muscles. For example, they are reflected in the movements of the face and speech. Then, in stupor, the patient freezes with a strange grimace, or begins to speak more slowly and becomes silent, and when excited, his speech is accelerated and confused, his face constantly changes expression. In a state of motor excitement, patients have extraordinary physical strength, but their actions are uncoordinated and most often directed to flight. Photos of patients with schizophreniavery characteristic and show all the features of their postures and facial expressions.
Simple
Simple, this form is only named because it does not include clear signs of schizophrenia. Therefore, it is often diagnosed late, making treatment difficult. The patient may appear to be simply a passive and indifferent person. For example, it all starts with the fact that he simply neglects his work or educational duties, performs everything formally, without investing any effort at all. But doesn't this happen all the time among he althy people? The person becomes indifferent to others. Emotional dullness grows. But he is simply obsessed with himself.
Often, such patients with schizophrenia are especially interested in the structure of the body. A person may have a misconception about their own body and its work. In addition, all this is overgrown with rituals. Sometimes people with schizophrenia get philosophical.
Negative and productive symptoms
If you try to explain in simple terms, then negative symptoms are the absence or lack of functions inherent in the psyche of a he althy person. And productive - when there is something that he althy people do not have. Negative symptoms include apato-abulic syndrome. Apathy is a word known to everyone and means indifference, the fading of emotions. But abulia is a term familiar to narrower circles, and means a decrease in will. Thus, the patient becomes indifferent to everything, does not strive for any goals, ceases to sympathize with loved ones. Suchpeople quit work or school, stop caring about their appearance, and in extreme cases lie down for days and even stop eating.
Productive symptoms are delusions, perceptual distortions, strange behavior. A lot has already been said about bullshit. Perceptual distortions can be visual or auditory hallucinations, as well as distortions of taste, smell, touch. For example, the patient may feel that insects are crawling on him or that the structure of his body has changed. As for the perception of smells, there was a case in the clinic when the patient thought that the cutlets in the dining room smelled like her neighbor in the ward, who had recently been discharged from the hospital. Therefore, she believed that the medical facility was eating patients.
Creativity in schizophrenia
The connection between schizophrenia and creativity causes heated debate among psychiatrists. Does illness contribute to success in art or vice versa? Can a schizophrenic patient be a genius? Yes maybe. The fact is that among schizophrenics there are even Nobel Prize winners in the field of art. And at the same time, the progression of the disease, especially the increase in negative symptoms, reduces both interest and the ability of a person to create something. It is difficult to say what was originally - a talented person faced an illness or an illness, although it did not create, but made his talent more original.
The study of the creativity of patients with schizophrenia: drawings, texts and other forms of professional and amateur art is interesting from the point of view that artists, poets, writers suffering from this disease canto express the experiences that are characteristic of all patients who are unable to express them. From their writings, you can learn more about their perception of the world.
The drawings of patients with schizophrenia are characterized by the image of fairy-tale creatures, repeated repetition of plots. For example, some children with schizophrenia are generally indifferent to drawing, but others paint entire albums with drawings on the same topic that excites them. One artist with paranoid schizophrenia and delusions of jealousy depicted the murder of Desdemona in every painting for over 20 years.
Verbal creativity is characterized by the creation of neologisms, unfinished sentences, the combination of the incompatible. For example, the original futurist poet Velimir Khlebnikov suffered, if not from schizophrenia, at least from milder schizophrenia-like disorders. And his work is replete with invented words, the play of sounds, and he himself dreamed of creating a science that would combine mathematics, history and literature.
Treatment
First of all, the treatment of patients with schizophrenia is medication. It is effective in 70% of cases. Until the end, the disease does not disappear, but the symptoms can significantly decrease and even go away. Olanzapine and other atypical antipsychotics are most often used to relieve an attack. If there is a depressive component, antidepressants are used. But you need to take medication not only at the time of exacerbation. Patients are prescribed maintenance therapy that prevents or delays the next relapse as much as possible. After the first attack, it lasts 1-2 years, afterthe second - 5 years, after the third - the rest of your life, because in this case the likelihood of exacerbations is very high.
In addition to taking medications, many different physiotherapy procedures are also used. In addition, many patients noticeably benefit from psychotherapy.
How to behave with relatives
Relatives are often concerned with the question of how to behave with a schizophrenic patient. Unfortunately, living with the mentally ill is not easy. It must be objectively understood that a person's view of the world is distorted. Therefore, in response to ordinary situations, he can react with insults, nit-picking and accusations. During the period of clarification, the patient may realize that he is mentally ill, but at such moments depression, fear and shame can roll over him. It's hard to feel like you're not in control of yourself sometimes! Therefore, communication with such a person requires extreme delicacy and caution from relatives of a patient with schizophrenia, so as not to cause an unpredictable reaction. For example, it is better to avoid contact with the patient, being in a bad mood. Don't tell him about your problems. Arguing with the patient is also pointless. It is necessary to take into account the characteristics of patients with schizophrenia. The thinking of such a person is distorted, so neither logical arguments nor emotional impact will convince him. Schizophrenics are deeply convinced of the truth of their delusional idea. But in a person arguing with him, the patient can see the enemy, another participant in the conspiracy. It is not worth emphasizing the inferiority of the patient with ridicule, attempts to shame, disgust. At the same time, it will not be possible to communicate with him as with a he althy person. It is betterJust do not use too long or ambiguous phrases. If the patient is closed and not in the mood for communication, there is no need to disturb him.
The question of what to do if the patient is aggressive is of particular concern to many. First of all, it is necessary to check whether the medication is not violated. In this case, you need to imperceptibly mix them into food or drink. It is best to avoid contact with the patient, do not look into his eyes. If you still have to communicate, keep your composure and show a calm look. It is better to remove piercing and cutting objects away. If the situation gets out of control and it is unrealistic to cope on your own, you need to resort to the help of psychiatrists.
It is especially difficult for mothers of schizophrenic patients. They are often overly involved in the life of a son or daughter, their overprotection causes irritation. Many mothers withdraw from communication with friends and relatives in order to hide troubles in the family. They are worried about the future. For example, how the patient will live after her death. Therefore, the whole family needs help, but not psychiatric, but psychological.
The main thing is support
Not everything is so sad and scary. When asked whether a schizophrenic patient can study, work, have a family, live a long and full life, the answer is in many cases in the affirmative. Many patients, thanks to the help of loved ones, have been in remission for many years. To do this, it is important to follow the instructions of doctors, try to lead a he althy lifestyle. If a person does not work, then it is worth entrusting him with some household duties so that he is busy andfelt wanted and needed. In addition, everyone benefits from the support and friendly attitude of loved ones.
Do I have schizophrenia?
It is worth understanding that self-diagnosis is not worth it. There is such a half-joking medical student syndrome when, faced with descriptions of illnesses, a person actively tries everything on himself and finds himself with many diagnoses. Except puerperal fever. In the modern world, when there is the Internet, information about diseases has become available not only to doctors. It must be understood that no article or book will help to make a diagnosis in the way that an experienced and qualified psychiatrist will do.
What should a person with schizophrenia do? First of all - to be treated. Secondly, take care of a he althy lifestyle and avoid stress as much as possible and when clarity of mind allows. And most importantly, remember that this is not a reason to give up, no matter how hard it is.
The inspirational story of Arnhild Lauweng
If this woman said "I've had schizophrenia for ten years", psychiatrists would not be surprised. But if you add "and cured", this calls into question all modern scientific ideas about schizophrenia. What if every sick person could follow the path of Arnhild Lauweng? During her illness, she was pursued by wolves, crocodiles, rats, birds of prey. But most of all, wolves. They seemed to be chewing on her legs. But now she works as a psychologist, and in her life, as they say, everything is like people have - two dogs, a dissertation, trips. Only dark memories remained of the wolves. Howdid she manage to get out of it all? There is no definite answer, because Arnhild has tried a lot of tools and techniques. It's impossible to say exactly what worked. One thing is clear – a person is saved by hope. When doctors and society say “impossible”, you still should not give up. And maybe it will be possible to become the second such phenomenon in world psychiatry.
