Schizophrenia

From ArticleWorld

Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that displays persistent defects in the perception and expression of reality. Disorganized thinking is common if the schizophrenia is not treated, as well as delusions and various hallucination, generating a number of behavioral or emotional problems. There are many possible symptoms, which makes it hard to say if it is a single mental disorder or actually a set of disorders.

Causes and diagnosis

It is difficult to say what causes schizophrenia. However, specialists have a number of research fields that lead them to find a number of causes, in different fields:

• Genetic. Research has shown that schizophrenia is highly heritable, although the genes themselves are not enough. If one identical twin develops schizophrenia, the other one does not necessarily develop it as well, showing that there is some environmental influence.

• Environmental. There are many factors that can influence the development of schizophrenia. Living in families with recurrent displays of violence or very stressful life events, poverty and discrimination are known to heavily contribute on the development of schizophrenia.

• Early neurodevelopment. Researches done in the 1940s have led researchers to include the early neurodevelopment in the factors that influence schizophrenia. Women who were pregnant during the Dutch famine had a greater chance of having children who would develop schizophrenia during lifetime.

• Dopamine production. Phenothiazines, drugs that block dopamine production, have been used to ameliorate psychotic conditions for a long time. Dopamine production seems to be linked with schizophrenia, but it is not a single explanation by itself.

Diagnosis requires the person to display a number of symptoms:

• Characteristic symptoms, which would be at least two of the following: delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, behavior, negative symptoms.

• Social or occupational dysfunctions: at least one major area of functioning must be below the level which could be seen before the onset of the symptoms

• Durations: the signs should be present for at least six months, with at least one month of characteristic symptoms.

Treatment

Although the idea of curing schizophrenia is under serious debate, there are some treatment methods involved. Anti-psychotic drugs are used, not necessarily because they could actually cure schizophrenia, but because they at least ameliorate the positive symptoms. Additional treatment is required to prevent some conditions which may appear due to the anti-psychotic treatment, like obesity. In some legislations, hospitalization must be provided under certain circumstances.

Psychotherapy may be offered, in order to relieve some issues, like self-esteem related problems. Electroconvulsive therapy can be applied if it is legal, but it is not a first line treatment. Psychosurgery is rare and not recommended. In non-Western countries, the community plays an important role.