It is believed that a person with a diagnosis of schizophrenia has mental disorders that accompany him throughout his life. However, this is not quite true. If the disease is diagnosed at an early stage of development and all the necessary measures for the treatment of this disease are taken, then there is a possibility that a person will live a normal full life.
Is schizophrenia treated?
There is an established opinion in society that it is impossible to recover from schizophrenia and that it is a stamp for life. In fact, you should not be so skeptical about this diagnosis. So is schizophrenia treated? To answer the question, it is recommended to look at this diagnosis from a different angle. Namely, treat this disease, like any other chronic ailment. As an example, consider a disease such as diabetes. Mankind has not come up with a way to get rid of it, but there are certain rules, following which a person can lead a normal lifestyle and maintain his body in good shape. So is schizophrenia treated or not? In answering this question, it is necessary to take into account the fact that if you learn to follow certain rules, then it will become possible to exercise control over your condition.
Each person is individual, and schizophrenia has its own characteristics of the course. In different people, they can manifest themselves in different ways. There is statistics that one in five people who have schizophrenia gets better in five years. At this stage, you should understand what improvement means and whether schizophrenia is treated. Now let's figure it out.
How are the improvements manifested in this ailment?
Firstly, it should be understood that improvement is a long process in a disease such as schizophrenia. Psychiatry highlights several points of this condition. Secondly, you need to know that the recovery process implies a person’s desire to constantly work and achieve their goals. During this period, the patient will experience both normalization and exacerbation of the disease. An important point is the support of loved ones who can provide the necessary assistance at the moment when it is necessary for a person with a diagnosis of schizophrenia.
Psychiatry says that by improving the condition of a person who is ill with this disease, it is understood to minimize the symptoms of the disease, to prevent attacks. It is also necessary to establish a normal perception of reality for the patient, thanks to which he will be able to lead a normal lifestyle.
What affects a positive outcome from treatment?
Symptoms of schizophrenia in men and women are usually the same. But there are differences. They consist in the fact that the symptoms of schizophrenia in a man are more aggressive and intimidating. They need attention and understanding of loved ones.
Symptoms of schizophrenia in women are milder. Obsessive thoughts, hallucinations. An interesting fact is that this disease can provoke childbirth. When answering the question of whether schizophrenia is treated in women, it should be borne in mind that this is a hereditary disease. And it lends itself to therapy as much as men. But if we talk about whether schizophrenia is treated in adolescents, then an important point is the early diagnosis of the disease.
Facts to consider when treating
It is worth saying that modern medicine does not offer any specific ways by which a person can be cured of schizophrenia. But this ailment is amenable to therapy. There are also ways to prevent seizures and exacerbations of the disease. If the patient has the right attitude and wants to recover, then he has every chance to become a full member of society and lead a normal lifestyle, carry out labor activities and so on.
If a person is diagnosed with schizophrenia, this does not mean that he needs to be constantly in the hospital. With the correct and timely approach to treatment, the patient will be able to avoid crisis situations, in which the patient may need to be examined and kept under observation. It should be remembered that in any situation there is hope for recovery. The main thing is not to lose heart, but to take certain actions. Thanks to them, you can achieve the desired results.
Non-medical methods of diagnosis
There is a schizophrenia test that you can take. Note that this test is not a basis for making a diagnosis. It shows whether a person is predisposed to such a disease or not. The schizophrenia test presents a set of questions. By answering them, a person scores a certain number of points. Test developers defined the norm. It is believed that if a person scored points, and they do not exceed a certain amount, then he is not prone to schizophrenia. The test is psychological in nature.
The questions are quite simple, for example, “do your relatives annoy you” or “do you have obsessive thoughts” and so on. In addition to the method of checking where to answer questions, there is a test of optical illusion. It is called a Chaplin mask. It is assumed that healthy people see Chaplin's convex face on both sides of the mask. And those who are prone to mental illness see the second side of the mask concave. These methods do not have any medical accuracy.
Methods of treating schizophrenia. Patient participation in the treatment process
First of all, it is necessary that a person is diagnosed correctly. The setting process requires a sufficiently long period of time. Since the symptoms of this disease can intersect with other mental disorders of a person. A diagnosis takes time to observe the patient. In addition, it is better if this is done by a psychiatrist who has experience in treating such people.
Therefore, at the first suspicion of schizophrenia or a mental disorder, you must consult a doctor. This should be done. Since an effective diagnosis requires a correct diagnosis. And already starting from it, they will prescribe a treatment regimen for the disease. If the diagnosis is accurate, then the therapy will be effective.
There are cases that a person who is sick with schizophrenia does not realize this himself and resists what he is told that he is not completely healthy. But relatives who see mental disorders need to see a doctor. If a person himself notices this kind of problem in his body, then he is also recommended to seek medical help.
A sick person needs to know that treating schizophrenia requires an integrated approach. This disease can not be cured, limited to taking medications. In addition, it is necessary to ensure communication with doctors, relatives, to have psychological support for loved ones. It is important not to fall out of society, but to continue to communicate with people around. You should also lead a healthy lifestyle and eat right. A healthy lifestyle means observing the regime of the day, walking, and exercising.
Another important factor that will ensure the healing process for schizophrenia is that the patient is an active participant in the treatment. The patient needs to tune in to participate in this process, pronounce his feelings about taking this or that drug, talk about his health and share his emotional mood with loved ones and the attending physician.
The course of schizophrenia and the mood of a sick person to recover
First of all, one should not fall into despair. If there are people around the person who is diagnosed with schizophrenia who believe that this disease is incurable, then you should not communicate with them. It is better that those for whom this person remains a person are present, regardless of the disease. It is necessary to constantly maintain a relationship with the doctor. It is recommended to monitor the dosage of drugs prescribed by the psychiatrist. If the patient has fears that he is prescribed too large a dose of drugs or, conversely, too small, then you must definitely talk with your doctor. He needs to express his concerns about this. You should also clarify what side effects are possible from taking this or that drug. It is important for the patient to be honest with himself and the psychiatrist. If the patient observes side effects, then you need to tell the doctor about this and change the treatment regimen or change the amount of the drug. The patient should know that determining the dosage of medications is a joint work of the doctor and patient. Therefore, it is necessary to show active participation in it.
Also, a person with a diagnosis of schizophrenia should learn to use special therapy, which includes the ability to control the symptoms of this disease. Namely, if the patient has any obsessive thoughts or he hears extraneous voices, then through special therapy he can switch and withdraw himself from these conditions. Also, the patient should learn to motivate himself to do something.
For schizophrenics, an important point in the healing process is setting and achieving goals. In no case should not abandon society.
Patient support
Those patients who receive support from relatives and other close people were very lucky. The participation of others in the treatment process is an important component of recovery. It was also revealed that when the patient is surrounded by understanding and kindness, the occurrence of relapse is minimized.
A person who is sick is advised to speak with relatives and friends, who, in his opinion, will be able to help if schizophrenia attacks occur. They need to explain what kind of help is expected from them. As a rule, when people ask for help, they go to a meeting. Especially when it comes to health. With the support of a patient diagnosed with schizophrenia, it will be easier to cope with the disease.
Another important factor that will contribute to recovery is work. For people with mental disabilities, it's better to work. If, of course, the state of health allows and there is no disability in schizophrenia. You can use voluntary labor. There are communities of people suffering from this disease. To avoid a lack of communication, it is recommended to join them. Visiting temples helps some people. It is necessary to create a favorable environment around you. The same rule can be followed by healthy people. The difference is that a mentally healthy person can cope with stress or psychological discomfort. A person with a deviation is better to avoid situations that can cause a relapse.
A favorable circumstance for the patient is living in a family. Love and understanding of loved ones are one of the main positive factors for curing schizophrenia. In no case should you drink alcohol or drugs. Since they have a negative effect on the body of a sick person.
Recommendations
People who are diagnosed with schizophrenia are prescribed antipsychotics. It should be remembered that the treatment of this disease is complex. Therefore, the use of drugs is one of the components of therapy.
You also need to understand that these drugs do not treat a person from a disease such as schizophrenia. Their action is aimed at eliminating the symptoms of this ailment, such as hallucinations, delusions, obsessive thoughts, chaotic thinking and so on.
Taking these drugs will not ensure a person’s entry into society, setting any goals and motivating him or her to do certain things.
The negative effects of drugs
Also, this type of drug has a number of concomitant manifestations:
- Drowsiness.
- Prostration.
- Chaotic movements may occur.
- Overweight appears.
- Lost sexual function.
If these manifestations interfere with normal life, then you should consult a doctor and reduce the dose of drugs or change the treatment regimen.
It is not recommended to independently reduce the amount of medication or switch to taking another drug. This can be harmful to health, cause relapse, and more. Therefore, you need to consult a psychiatrist.
How to find the best drug?
The main task in finding the right medicine for schizophrenia is that it has the right effect, and side effects are minimized. It should also be borne in mind that a person takes such drugs for a long time, sometimes for life. Therefore, the choice must be taken very carefully. If necessary, exchange for another medicine.
The difficulty in selecting an antipsychotic is that it is not clear how it will affect the body and what side effects may occur. Therefore, the process of selecting a drug can be quite long and complicated. It is also necessary to choose the right dosage for each specific patient.
As a rule, the patient's condition improves after taking medication after a month and a half or two months. There are times when a person becomes better after a few days. When there is no positive dynamics, and after two months, you need to either increase the dose or change the drug.
So is schizophrenia completely treated? It is 100% impossible to guarantee. But to remove her symptoms is possible.
What types of medications are prescribed for schizophrenia?
Currently, drugs that are prescribed for this disease can be divided into two groups. Namely, the medicines of the old generation and the new. The first drugs include antipsychotics. And for new ones - atypical medicines.
Antipsychotics have been known since ancient times, they remove hallucinations, obsessive thoughts, and more. But they have flaws. They can cause unpleasant symptoms such as:
- Anxiety.
- Slowness.
- Shaky gait.
- Pain in the muscles.
- Temporary paralysis may occur.
- Cramping.
- Teak.
- Chaotic movements.
New generation drugs are called atypical antipsychotic drugs. In recent years, they are used more often to treat this disease. This is due to the fact that there are much fewer side effects from taking these funds.