A modern person very often has mental illness. One of the most common is schizophrenia disease. She is still unexplored, despite the active development of psychiatry. However, at the moment there is already a lot of information about her.
Schizophrenia medical history
The very first mention of the disease occurs in the 17th century BC on the ancient Egyptian papyrus in the Book of Hearts. This indicates that even ancient people were engaged in the study of issues related to mental disorders. A description of schizophrenia was also advanced 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 kind of schizophrenia disease? Kraepelin was the very first to divide it into early dementia and manic depression. This observation has played a significant role in the scientific community so far. Now, people suffering from this pathology start up outpatient medical records. Schizophrenia in 1908 was called an independent disease. Eigen Bleiler, a psychiatrist from Switzerland, introduces this concept into the scientific community. According to his studies, a deviation can occur both in adolescence and in adults. The most significant statement of the scientist indicates that schizophrenia is a malfunction in associative thinking. Eigen suggested several types of disease:
- Strong-willed. Difficulties in choosing any meaningful solution. Since a person cannot make a choice, this forces him to completely refuse to make decisions in general.
- Emotional. Thinking, which is characterized by a positive and neutral attitude towards objects from the surrounding reality (people, objects, events).
- Intellectual. Conflicts of diverse ideas and reasoning in the mind. Often they contradict and mutually exclude each other.
After a short period of time, psychiatrists recognized this concept. What kind of schizophrenia disease has now been established. However, the question of the occurrence, treatment and signs by which it is necessary to make a diagnosis is still unknown.
What is an ailment?
According to statistics, about 3% of the world's population is affected by this disease. What kind of schizophrenia disease? This mental disorder is characterized by a variety of hallucinations and distortions of thought. Some people think that schizophrenia is a split personality, but this is a false statement. A sick person does not understand what is happening around him. There is a complete mess in the head: thoughts, events, imaginary incidents mix with each other. Everything that a person perceives from the outside 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 healthy people. Sometimes there are patients who build their own separate reality besides the one that exists in the world.
Also, schizophrenia is characterized by its combination with other abnormalities. These include various depression and anxiety disorders. Often among schizophrenics you can find alcoholics and drug addicts. Patients are prone to suicide. As a result of schizophrenia, a person may lose their home, work, and contacts with people.
Causes of the disease
At the moment, scientists do not have exact statements, which is why the disease appeared. Hereditary schizophrenia disease or not? Experts answer this question that it can appear not only because of a genetic factor. There are many likely causes of schizophrenia:
- Heredity. This assumption appeared back in the last century, then people believed that schizophrenia can manifest itself only by inheritance. The likelihood of illness increases as a relative of schizophrenia is close. Modern studies claim that the risk of transmission deviations from one parent schizophrenic is 12%, and from two - 20%.
- Disturbances in the development of the brain. This assumption is based on various brain pathologies. The bottom line is that the abnormalities do not progress and are mild. However, in the future, due to them, the disease can develop.
- The 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 the causes of the ailment can be unsplit products of protein metabolism. It is believed that the brain undergoes oxygen starvation.
- Cognitive impairment. In this case, schizophrenia appears due to the fact that a person is trying to describe his feelings to relatives. As soon as the patient begins to hear voices, he tells loved ones. However, they do not understand and deny it. As a result, schizophrenia develops.
Science only comes close to describing the causes of the disease, but at the moment there is not enough information. It is known that patients have impaired perception and sensory feelings.
Signs of the disease
Often patients with schizophrenia have many disorders that can be used to determine the disease. What kind of schizophrenia disease and how does the patient behave? Such a person may differ thoughts from speech, appear sound hallucinations, delirium. Patients are often socially isolated due to paranoia, hallucinations, delirium and apathy. Very rarely, schizophrenics can be silent and stand still. Also, patients cease to perform normal actions, for example, washing their hair or brushing their teeth. A person expresses little emotion, sometimes it will be difficult to understand how he feels. However, these signs are not enough to diagnose a mental disorder.
Stages of the disease
For each of the period of the course of the disease, different signs and symptoms are characteristic. There are 4 stages in total:
- Premorbid stage. During it, a person's basic personality traits change. A person begins to behave suspiciously and inappropriately. Also, the patient begins to express his emotions strangely.
- Prodromal stage. A person begins to leave society and his family. The patient is isolated from the outside world. Traits of a scattered person also appear.
- The first psychotic episode. During it, a schizophrenic develops 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 exacerbation.
Also, patients may have a defect, an incurable stage of the disease. Psychiatrists believe that this is the last stage of a mental illness. They are called abnormalities in the personality and psyche of a schizophrenic. Patients have reduced all needs, apathy, indifference and serious disturbances in thinking appear.
Symptoms of schizophrenia
Patients with this mental disorder have disturbances in thinking and perception, as well as emotional disturbances. Also, in schizophrenia, the stages of the disease 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. Allocate positive and negative symptoms. The first include signs that have not been observed in humans before, but they appeared at the stage of schizophrenia. The word "positive" means the appearance of new symptoms:
- Rave.
- The 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 patient’s personality is erased due to mental disorders and processes in the body. The most common negative symptoms are:
- Decreased volitional activity. A schizophrenic patient ignores basic hygiene standards. Also decreases appetite and craving for food. 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 seeks is not in the team, ceases to communicate with relatives and friends.
- Depressed state. Patients feel close to depression. They have apathy and indifference to the world around them.
Also, patients 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.
Diagnosis of the disease
The 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 through a survey. As we have already found out, the answer to the question: schizophrenia is a congenital or acquired disease, even experts cannot give an exact answer. After all, it can appear both due to a genetic factor, and as a result of disturbances in the functioning of the brain throughout life. Family data is also collected, because very often this disease is due to genetics. Another specialist conducts a complete medical diagnosis to rule out other diseases. After all, with some diseases there are similar signs. To make a diagnosis, you need to determine the symptoms that persist for a month:
- Auditory or visual hallucinations.
- Disorders of the emotional sphere: apathy, depression, silence.
- Deviations from the usual behavior in the family, at work, in educational institutions.
- Speech and thinking disorders.
- Delusional states.
Schizophrenia is characterized by the loss of connections with reality over a long time. However, there are many similar mental abnormalities, 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
Representatives of the stronger sex suffering from the disease can lose all their cravings and interest in life. Schizophrenia can sometimes weaken and intensify. The most basic symptoms in men:
- The appearance of hallucinations.
- The state of delirium.
- Low level of critical attitude to life.
Men all occurring events or objects mystify. An inadequate reaction to what is happening may occur: tears or laughter. Anxiety and agitation also increase.
In women, the very first manifestations of the disease can appear at age 20, less often at 30. What is the first sign of schizophrenia in women? Behavior that becomes asocial. Often they lose their hobbies and work because of behavioral disorders. Also, women often appear apathy and indifference to the world. Key features:
- Aggressive behavior.
- Irritability.
- Auditory hallucinations.
- Obsession.
Women can often cry and try to attract a lot of attention. Also, many complain of nonexistent pain. behavior changes dramatically. Signs of schizophrenia in women are practically no different from symptoms 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 people older, but have their own characteristics. The disease may appear due to factors:
- Genetic predisposition.
- Deviations of the nervous system.
- The effect of infections on the fetus during gestation by the mother.
- Substance abuse and alcohol abuse.
- Many quarrels, scandals and conflicts in the family.
- Lack of attention to the teenager.
In children, unlike adults, negative symptoms appear brighter than positive ones. Symptoms and signs of schizophrenia in adolescents include mental disorders, mood disorders, apathy. Some may be rude to their parents and relatives. Symptoms of depression sometimes occur. Some parents think it's teenage maximalism that will pass. However, a serious mental disorder may be hidden under this mask. Positive symptoms appear in the form of:
- Delusional ideas. The teenager believes that he has many shortcomings in appearance. These ideas can develop into anorexia, causing harm to the body and in rare cases it can lead to suicide.
- Hallucinations. Often appear in sound forms. It seems to the teenager that the voices inside him criticize, condemn and scold.
- Hobbies of psychoactive substances. Sometimes a teenager can show strong attention to drugs and alcohol, which will only harm his consciousness.
Treatment is the same as in adults. Consultation with a specialist and taking action is required. Diagnosis of schizophrenia in children is similar to an adult. for treatment, a course of psychotherapy and medication is often prescribed. Separate work is also being done with parents so that they understand the reasons for the diagnosis and know what kind of help the child needs.
International classification
The tenth revision of diseases since 2007 is an up-to-date generally accepted classification of diagnoses. Schizophrenia according to ICD-10 is assigned the code F20. An ailment is a disorder characterized by a distortion of thinking, perception. According to modern data, the patient can maintain his consciousness and intelligence abilities, however, as the diagnosis develops, they may worsen.
Also, patients diagnosed with schizophrenia (ICD-10 code F20) think that their thoughts can be reflected and transmitted over distances. Disorders are characterized by manifestations of visual or auditory hallucinations, delirium, and erratic thoughts. Schizophrenia can occur both long and episodic time. In some cases, symptoms of depression or mania are present.
Treatment for a diagnosis of schizophrenia
Scientists still consider this mental disorder to be the most mysterious and unexplored. However, it is possible to cure and reduce the symptoms of schizophrenia using existing therapies. Diagnosis of schizophrenia includes the necessary examinations. If patients develop bouts of hallucinations or delirium, then this must be treated in a hospital setting. Medications (antidepressants and antipsychotics) can successfully cope with various symptoms and manifestations of a mental disorder.
A person with such a diagnosis will need to constantly take medication and be supervised by doctors. And after a 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 psychotherapeutic help. Doctors give a complete description of the disease of schizophrenia. Specialists also work with people and explain to them how to act during seizures, as well as what to do to reduce their number.
Psychotherapists conduct interviews with relatives of patients. Indeed, for effective treatment, patients must be provided with the necessary moral support and understanding. Among the specialists, group classes are popular, where patients share their experiences and successes in recovery with each other. Such procedures are especially effective during a disease of sluggish schizophrenia. This positively affects the emotional background of patients, which helps to reduce symptoms.
Thanks to the development of modern medicine, it is possible to allow patients with schizophrenia to live like ordinary people. However, it is impossible to fully recover.