Modern man often has mental illness. One of the most common is schizophrenia. It is still unexplored, despite the active development of psychiatry. However, at the moment there is already a lot of information about her.
History of schizophrenia
The very first mention of the disease falls on the 17th century BC on the ancient Egyptian papyrus in the "Book of Hearts". This indicates that even ancient people were studying issues related to mental disorders. The description of the disease schizophrenia was also put forward in the Middle Ages. Ancient medical texts testify to this.
In 1880, the Russian psychiatrist Viktor Khrisanfovich Kandinsky first described the disease, giving it the name "ideophrenia". The disease was described by Emil Kraepelin in 1893 as an independent disorder of the human soul. What is the disease schizophrenia? Kraepelin was the first to divide it into early dementia and manic depression. This observation plays a significant role in the scientific community so far. Nowon people suffering from this pathology, outpatient case histories are started. Schizophrenia in 1908 was named an independent disease. Eigen Bleuler, a Swiss psychiatrist, introduces the concept to the scientific community. According to his research, the deviation can appear both in adolescence and in an adult. The most significant statement of the scientist indicates that schizophrenia is a malfunction in the work of associative thinking. Eigen suggested several types of illness:
- Very strong-willed. Difficulties in choosing any meaningful decision. Since a person cannot make a choice, this forces him to refuse to make decisions at all.
- Emotional. Thinking, which is characterized by a positive and neutral attitude towards objects from the surrounding reality (people, objects, events).
- Intelligent. Conflicts of diverse ideas and reasoning in the mind. They often contradict and mutually exclude each other.
After a short period of time, psychiatrists recognized this concept. What kind of disease schizophrenia is now established. However, the question of occurrence, treatment and signs for which it is necessary to make a diagnosis is still unknown.
What is the disease
According to statistics, about 3% of the world's population is affected by this disease. What is the disease schizophrenia? This mental disorder is characterized by a variety of hallucinations and distortions of thought. Some people think that schizophrenia issplit personality, however, this is a false statement. A sick person does not understand what is happening around him. A complete confusion is going on in the head: thoughts, events, imaginary incidents are mixed with each other. Everything that a person perceives from the surrounding world is a chaotic set of various pictures, images and sounding phrases. One of the severe forms is continuous paranoid schizophrenia. Often, patients completely deny their disease and consider themselves he althy people. Sometimes there are patients who build their own reality apart from the one that exists in the world.
Also, schizophrenia is characterized by its combination with other deviations. These include various depressions and anxiety disorders. Often among schizophrenics you can meet alcoholics and drug addicts. Patients are suicidal. A person with schizophrenia can lose their home, job, and social contacts.
Causes of disease
At the moment, scientists do not have exact statements, because of which the disease appeared. Is schizophrenia hereditary or not? Experts answer this question that it can appear not only because of the genetic factor. There are many possible causes of schizophrenia:
- Heredity. This assumption appeared in the last century, when people believed that schizophrenia could only manifest itself by inheritance. The likelihood of the disease increases with the proximity of a relative with schizophrenia. Modern research states that the risk of transmitting a deviation from one schizophrenic parent is 12%, and fromtwo - 20%.
- Impaired development of the brain. This assumption is based on various pathologies of the brain. The bottom line is that the deviations do not progress and are mild. However, in the future, because of them, the disease may develop.
- Psychological aspects. This theory was proposed by Sigmund Freud. Its meaning is to restore the patient to his previous state, which was lost.
- Intoxication of the body. Psychiatrists believe that unsplit products of protein metabolism can be the causes of the disease. It is believed that the brain undergoes oxygen starvation.
- Cognitive impairment. In this case, schizophrenia appears due to the fact that a person tries to describe his feelings to relatives. As soon as the patient begins to hear voices, he tells loved ones. However, they do not understand it and deny it. As a result, schizophrenia develops.
Science is only getting closer to describing the causes of the disease, but at the moment there is not enough information. Patients are known to have impaired perception and sensory feelings.
Signs of disease
Often, people with schizophrenia have many disorders that can be used to identify the disease. What kind of disease is schizophrenia and how does the patient behave? Such a person may have different thoughts from speech, sound hallucinations, delirium may appear. Often patients are socially isolated due to paranoia, hallucinations, delusions and apathy. Very rarely, schizophrenics can remain silent and stand still. Alsopatients stop doing normal activities, such as washing their hair or brushing their teeth. A person expresses little emotion, sometimes it will be difficult to understand what he feels. However, these signs are not enough to diagnose a mental disorder.
Stages of the disease
Each period of the course of the disease is characterized by different signs and symptoms. There are 4 stages in total:
- Premorbid stage. During it, a person's basic personality traits change. The person begins to behave suspiciously and inadequately. Also, the patient begins to strangely express his emotions.
- Prodromal stage. A person begins to withdraw from society and his family. The patient is isolated from the outside world. The traits of an absent-minded person also appear.
- First psychotic episode. During it, the schizophrenic has auditory hallucinations, obsessions and delusions.
- Stage of remission. The characteristic features of this period are the disappearance or weakening of all symptoms. This is followed by a severe aggravation.
Also, patients may develop a defect, an incurable stage of the disease. Psychiatrists believe that this is the last stage of mental illness. They are called deviations in the personality and psyche of a schizophrenic. All needs are reduced in patients, apathy, indifference and serious disturbances in thinking appear.
Symptoms of schizophrenia
In patients with this mental disorder, there are disorders of thinking and perception, as well as emotional disorders. Also, schizophrenia has stagesdiseases play a significant role in the symptoms. Often, their duration should be about a month, and for a more accurate diagnosis, a specialist should observe a person for six months. Distinguish between positive and negative symptoms. The first include signs that were not observed in a person before, but they appeared at the stage of development of schizophrenia. The word "positive" means the appearance of new symptoms:
- Delirium.
- Appearance of hallucinations.
- Excited state.
- Strange behavior.
- Illusions.
Negative symptoms of schizophrenia are the absence of a normal manifestation of emotions and character traits. The personality of the patient is erased due to violations of the mental state and processes in the body. Most common negative symptoms:
- Reduced volitional activity. A schizophrenic patient ignores elementary hygiene standards. It also reduces appetite and food cravings. Attraction to the opposite sex completely disappears. In severe cases, schizophrenia can lead to a complete loss of interest in life and apathy.
- Isolation from society. Such a sign may appear very late. A person strives not to be in a team, stops communicating with relatives and friends.
- Depressed state. Patients feel a state close to depression. They develop apathy and indifference to the world around them.
Also, people with schizophrenia become very passive, it is difficult for them to make decisions. Most do not respond to difficulties and believe that nothing can be changed in difficult situations.situations.
Diagnosis of disease
Diagnosis can only be made by a specialist who relies on a complete psychiatric diagnosis. It includes a general assessment of the patient's condition by questioning. As we have already found out, even experts cannot give an exact answer to the question: is schizophrenia a congenital or acquired disease? After all, it can appear both due to a genetic factor, and as a result of brain dysfunctions throughout life. Family data is also collected, because very often this disease is caused by genetics. Another specialist conducts a complete medical diagnosis to rule out other diseases. After all, some diseases have similar symptoms. To make a diagnosis, you need to determine the symptoms that persist for a month:
- Auditory or visual hallucinations.
- Emotional disorders: apathy, depression, silence.
- Deviations from the usual behavior in the family, at work, in educational institutions.
- Impaired speech and thinking.
- Delirium.
Schizophrenia is characterized by loss of connection with reality for a long time. However, there are many similar mental disorders, such as schizoaffective disorders and short psychotic episodes, mania and depression. Also, the patient's symptoms may appear due to the use of psychoactive substances: alcohol, heroin, amphetamine, cocaine.
Differences between women and men
Strong sex suffering from a disease can lose all their cravings and interest in life. Sometimes schizophrenia can wax and wane. The most basic signs in men:
- Appearance of hallucinations.
- Delirium state.
- Low level of critical attitude to life.
Men all happening events or objects mystify. An inadequate reaction to what is happening may appear: tears or laughter. Also increases anxiety and arousal
In women, the very first manifestations of the disease can appear at the age of 20, less often at 30. What is the first sign of schizophrenia in women? Behavior that becomes antisocial. They often lose their hobbies and jobs due to behavioral problems. Also, women often have apathy and indifference to the world around them. Key Features:
- Aggressive behavior.
- Irritable.
- Auditory hallucinations.
- Obsession.
Women may cry a lot and try to get a lot of attention. Also, many complain of non-existent pain. behavior changes dramatically. Signs of schizophrenia in women are almost the same as those in men.
Manifestations at an early age
Schizophrenia is one of the most common diseases in adolescents. It occurs in every fifth patient with mental disorders. Symptoms and signs of schizophrenia in adolescents are similar to those in older people, but have their own characteristics. Diseases may appear due tofactors:
- Genetic predisposition.
- Disorders of the nervous system.
- Exposure of infections to the fetus during gestation by the mother.
- Substance use and childhood alcoholism.
- Many quarrels, scandals and conflicts in the family.
- Lack of attention to a teenager.
Children, unlike adults, have more negative symptoms than positive ones. The symptoms and signs of schizophrenia in adolescents include thinking disorders, mood disorders, apathy. Some may be rude to their parents and relatives. Sometimes there are symptoms of depression. Some parents believe that this is teenage maximalism that will pass. However, under this mask, a serious mental disorder can be hidden. Positive symptoms appear in the form:
- Crazy ideas. The teenager believes that he has many flaws in appearance. These ideas can develop into anorexia, harm to the body and in rare cases, it can lead to suicide.
- Hallucinations. Often manifested in sound forms. A teenager feels that the voices inside him are criticizing, condemning and scolding.
- Phobbies for psychoactive substances. Sometimes a teenager can show a strong attention to drugs and alcohol, because of which it will only harm his mind.
Treatment is the same as for adults. Consultation with a specialist and action is necessary. The diagnosis of schizophrenia in children is similar to that in adults. for treatment, a course of psychotherapy and medication is often prescribed. Also underwayseparate work with parents so that they understand the reasons for the diagnosis and know what help the child needs.
International classification
The Tenth Revision of Diseases since 2007 is the current generally accepted classification of diagnoses. Schizophrenia is assigned the F20 code according to ICD-10. The disease is a disorder characterized by a distortion of thinking, perception. According to current data, the patient can retain his consciousness and intelligence abilities, however, as the diagnosis develops, they may deteriorate.
Also, patients diagnosed with schizophrenia (ICD-10 code F20) feel that their thoughts can be reflected and transmitted over distances. The disorder is characterized by manifestations of visual or auditory hallucinations, delusional states, erratic thoughts. Schizophrenia can occur both long-term and episodic. In some cases, symptoms of depression or mania are present.
Treatment of a diagnosis of schizophrenia
Scientists still consider this mental disorder the most mysterious and unexplored. However, it is possible to cure and reduce the symptoms of schizophrenia with the help of existing therapies. Diagnosis of schizophrenia includes the necessary examinations. If patients have attacks of hallucinations or delusions, then this must be treated in a hospital setting. Medications (antidepressants and neuroleptics) can successfully cope with various symptoms and manifestations of a mental disorder.
A person with this diagnosis will need to constantly take medication andbe under medical supervision. And after the course of psychotherapeutic treatment and rehabilitation, the patient will be able to return to a normal lifestyle.
One of the most important parts of recovery is psychotherapy. Doctors give a complete description of the disease schizophrenia. Specialists also work with people and explain to them how to act during attacks, as well as what to do to reduce their number.
Psychotherapists talk with relatives of patients. After all, for effective treatment, patients must be provided with the necessary moral support and understanding. Group sessions are popular among specialists, where patients share their experiences and successes in recovery with each other. Such procedures are especially effective during the illness of sluggish schizophrenia. This has a positive effect on the emotional background of patients, which helps to reduce symptoms.
Thanks to the development of modern medicine, it is possible to allow people with schizophrenia to live like ordinary people. However, there is no cure.
