People who are suffering from schizophrenia show numerous symptoms, and they can be categorized into three categories: positive symptoms, negative symptoms, and cognitive symptoms.
Positive Symptoms: The symptoms included in this category are hallucinations, delusions, thought disorder and movement disorder. Hallucinations are things a person sees or hears but actually do not exist in real life. Most people suffering from this mental disorder also hear voices in their heads. Meanwhile, delusions are beliefs that are not true or logical. When patients have delusions, they believe that they are famous figures or believe that other people are trying to harm them. Thought disorders refer to unusual ways of thinking and movement disorders refer to repetition of certain movements.
Negative Symptoms: These symptoms are more difficult to identify as they can be mistaken as depression. They include the lack of will to do regular activities, lack of expression, speaking very little, and lack of initiative.
Cognitive Symptoms: These symptoms are subtle and they include memory problems, lack of insight, and difficulty in focusing attention.
After identifying the symptoms, you may have questions about the treatment options. Are treatments for schizophrenia available? Yes, there are some options available and you can read the explanation as follows:
1. Antipsychotics: This is the most common medication for this mental disorder. 70{c66b10e9cbb0dd4ae322bbe8793aef26e887819d9224ac46799d38bddff29d80} of people use this medication and it is proven to be effective in reducing relapse rate up to 40{c66b10e9cbb0dd4ae322bbe8793aef26e887819d9224ac46799d38bddff29d80}. Typical antipsychotics include Haloperidol, Thorazine and Fluanxol. These medications are effective in treating the symptoms especially the positive ones.
2. Antidepressants: These medications are recommended for people who are suffering from schizoaffective disorder. They reduce symptoms of depression that most sufferers experience.
3. Psychotherapy: This is the most recommended treatment for schizophrenia sufferers. Psychotherapy is behavioral treatment that can reduce relapse rate to only 25{c66b10e9cbb0dd4ae322bbe8793aef26e887819d9224ac46799d38bddff29d80}. There are some types of psychotherapy such as family therapy, cognitive therapy, psychoeducations. They help schizophrenics overcome the symptoms and help them to interact in society. Another important treatment is social skills training; this is a training to teach patients in dealing with social situations.
4. Alternative treatments: These treatments are available but a patient is not recommended to choose them without getting medical treatment first. Alternative treatments will be more effective when they are combined with antipsychotics and managed under a doctor’s supervision. In some cases, dietary supplements can also help in reducing schizophrenia symptoms.
Actually, there is currently no cure for this mental disorder but the treatment options above are available today. In most cases the treatments show effectiveness in reducing symptoms and preventing relapse. However, the treatments should be given for a life time.
