Imagine watching television and hearing messages directed at you from the television, or trying to speak to your supervisor at work when a voice inside your head is loudly commanding you to leave the room. Imagine the fear you would experience when you are walking down the road and then hear the footsteps of someone chasing you or seeing a figure come to life in the middle of the night that actually touches you. A person diagnosed with schizophrenia suffers from a severe disabling brain disease that changes their reality and perceptions. Schizophrenia affects both men and women and the symptoms can appear in the teens to early thirties.
Symptoms:
* Distorted perceptions of reality - With images, thoughts, sounds and ideas invading their reality, a person with schizophrenia may feel frightened, anxious, suspicious and confused.
* Hallucinations – Seeing, hearing, touching (or being touched), tasting or smelling things that are not there. The most common type of hallucination is hearing voices.
* Delusions – False fixed beliefs- believing they are being persecuted, or believing they are God or hold supernatural powers. The person may also experience bizarre thoughts, such as thinking that others are trying to control their thoughts or that messages are being broadcast to them from the radio or television.
* Disordered Thinking – Inability to focus; thoughts coming in and out of the mind or in fragmented pieces. The flow of thought may not follow a logical sequence. This can also make conversation difficult and can also lead to social isolation.
* Emotional Expression - A lack of emotional expression, referred to as “ flat” or “blunted affect.” The person may speak in a monotone, not show any facial expression or appear to be socially withdrawn.
Factors that cause Schizophrenia:
* Links to heredity: if a relative in the family has schizophrenia, another family member may develop the disorder.
* Physical abnormalities in the brain: research taking images of the brain has shown differences between certain areas of the brain of a person with schizophrenia and a person without schizophrenia.
Treatment Options:
* Although there is no cure for schizophrenia, antipsychotic medications can help reduce the psychotic symptoms of the disease and help the person function more normally.
* Rehabilitation- focusing on vocational skill, job training, money management, social skills and problem-solving skills.
* Individual psychotherapy with mental health professionals.
* Family Education and Self-Help group.
Other Resources:
www.nimh,nih.gov/publicat/schizoph
www.schizophrenia.com ( international support available for India)