Very often people call each other "schizophrenics" simply for emotional incontinence, some impulsiveness or untimely reaction of the brain. Often this is called people who are fickle and easily change their minds. How little we invest in this concept and how much we do not know about what this disease really is, how it manifests itself and what are the stages of schizophrenia.
What is schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a whole group of mental disorders that are associated with a violation of emotional reactions, disorders of perception of the world around us, oneself in it and thinking. Schizophrenia can be recognized by a number of distinguishing features:
- Inappropriate behavior.
- Sudden and causeless mood swings.
- Unreasonable aggression.
- Disorganized thinking.
- Speech and movement disorders.
- Auditory hallucinations.
- Delirium.
Due to the extensive list of symptoms, discussions are still underway as to whether schizophrenia can be considered a separate disease, or whether it is a diagnosis behind which lies a variety of syndromes and mental disorders.
Who can get sick
Studies show that approximately 0.5 percent of the world's population is at some stage of the disease. Most often, the disorder begins to manifest itself at a young age, in the region of 20-30 years. Both men and women suffer from it equally often.
Reasons
It is known that people living in the city suffer from schizophrenia much more often than rural residents. Someone associates the risks of getting sick with a genetic predisposition. It has been proven that if one of the close relatives (mom, dad, brother or sister) in the family suffers from this disease, the likelihood of starting to go through the stages of schizophrenia step by step is much higher.
Increase the risk of becoming a schizophrenic Alcohol and drugs. Although there is also a theory that, on the contrary, links drug and alcohol addiction with the desire to prevent discomfort and fears associated with mental illness.
An interesting dependence of the risk of developing the disease can be observed by studying the statistics. According to the figures, people born in spring and winter are much more likely to get sick. Also, infections transferred in the womb increase the susceptibility of the psyche to this disease.
The most popular cause of the origin of schizophrenia isdopamine theory. In he althy people, the hormone dopamine, a neurotransmitter responsible for the psycho-emotional state of a person, is produced in a certain amount. Reduced or elevated levels of this hormone cause hallucinations, mania, delirium - the main symptoms of schizophrenia.
Symptoms
There are three main groups of symptoms:
- Productive (positive) - hallucinations, delusions.
- Negative (deficit) - apathy, lack of will, weakness, silence.
- Cognitive - disorders of perception of the world, disturbances in mental activity, attention, disorganization of speech.
Prodromal stage
Like many diseases, schizophrenia has a prodrome. This is the earliest stage of schizophrenia. This is the period when the disease has not yet begun to develop, but some features and the very first symptoms of the disease can already tell the doctor and the patient about the upcoming disease. It has been proven that in the case of schizophrenia, such symptoms can be noticed about thirty months before the onset of overt symptoms.
Prodrome symptoms:
- irritability;
- social isolation;
- painfully low mood;
- feeling of hostility to others;
- mild aggression.
Stages of schizophrenia
1. The initial period is the initial stage of schizophrenia. Symptoms after the prodromal period intensify and become more pronounced. This stage lasts untilexacerbations. Featured:
- Irritable.
- Anger.
- Increased energy and physical activity.
- Reactive or neurotic subdepression.
- Disorder of perception of oneself in the world.
2. Active, acute phase. This period of illness usually lasts from a month to two. Typical symptoms for this stage of schizophrenia:
- Mental breakdown.
- Severe hallucinations.
- Inability to distinguish reality from delusion.
- Confusion of speech and thoughts.
3. The final stage is characterized by deficient symptoms (apathy, indifference, frightening calmness). It occurs after the acute phase and is especially pronounced if appropriate therapy has not been carried out.
4. Remissions. When the first stages of schizophrenia pass, life gets better and seems to return to normal.
5. Relapses. Most often, schizophrenia returns, and the patient (and his relatives) have to go through all the hardships of mental illness again. All stages of the disease can be repeated in turn for many years. Often you can notice the patterns and features of the course of the disease in a particular person. With age, the number of relapses usually increases, but there are cases of complete recovery.
These stages of schizophrenia are divided very conditionally. But every disease is cyclical, and these cycles throughout life are repeated one after another. Schizophrenics most often constantly live in some kind of their own world. And it starts around adolescence. Manifestations of the diseasequite individual. Someone during exacerbations simply ceases to perceive the world around them and withdraws into themselves. Some suffer from severe seizures with complete loss of self, requiring immediate hospitalization.
Many remission patients live normal lives and hope for a full recovery. But most often they try to spend as much time alone as possible, are not interested in the opposite sex and are in constant fear of relapse.
Drug treatment has a positive effect on the manifestations of the disease. Relieves symptoms and improves overall well-being of patients.
Treatment
Treatment for schizophrenia is mostly symptomatic, consisting of medications (tranquilizers) and various forms of social and psychological support.
In the acute/active phase of schizophrenia, it is recommended to undergo treatment within the walls of a hospital. This will protect the patient from suicide in a state of passion, help the patient's relatives, since caring for such a patient is very complex and individual (most often they lose the opportunity to take care of themselves, and their behavior is characterized as socially unacceptable). In addition, hospital treatments lead to an early remission.
Most often, patients with schizophrenia remain capable after a period of exacerbation and, with the support of medications and a psychotherapist, can lead a normal life and work.
