The onset of the disorder is not sudden and the symptoms not very discreet, so it can be easily ignored in the initial stages, or be confused with some other illness. However there are some common benchmarks for the disorder:
Loss of interest in activities and social withdrawal – the person loses interest in work and academic output decreases considerably. He is unable to concentrate, is irritable, and looks preoccupied most of the time. This is usually in combination with disturbed eating and sleeping patterns and the individual begins to shun company of any sort.
Delusions – most persons with schizophrenia believe in something that may be totally untrue. These false beliefs make them anxious, nervous or frightened. For instance, a schizophrenic may believe that the world is out to kill him, or he may have delusions of grandeur wherein he may believe himself to be a very important person of the world. These beliefs are not open to any suggestion or reason for the patient.
Hallucinations – unlike delusions, hallucinations are not connected with events in the real world. There is no stimulus present for the individual to behave in a particular manner. For example, the person may hear voices when nobody is speaking, or he may carry out a conversation with an imaginary companion.
Disinterest in personal hygiene – in later stages, the patient refuses to bathe or keep himself clean, loses interest in his physical appearance and his surroundings.
Inability to express emotions – persons with the disorder often show a "blunt" facial expression, speak in a monotonous voice and appear extremely apathetic. They do not show appropriate expressions, which might become another cause for their social withdrawal.
Treatment approach to schizophrenia is long term and multi-pronged. It comprises not only medical intervention, but also psychological, behavioural and social rehabilitation.
Medical treatment – Antipsychotic medications like Clozapine, Risperidone and Olanzapine are prescribed in most cases of the disorder. The dosage of medication differs from one patient to another. Drugs may induce some side effects like drowsiness, restlessness, muscle spasms, dry mouth or blurring of vision.
Psychotherapy sessions are helpful in treatment along with drugs. During these sessions by a psychiatrist, the patient can talk about his feelings and experiences within his world. This can help him in understanding his own problems and also distinguish between the real and the distorted world. Family counselling sessions can also help the family deal better with the individual and his problem. Recently group therapy sessions have started in India, which enable an individual to interact with others and thus regain his confidence.
In some cases, total recovery is possible, but in most cases, regular check-ups are necessary to ascertain the position of the patient. With a combination of drugs and individual rehabilitation, most individuals are able to regain normal functioning, but if the medical treatment is discontinued without consulting the doctor or it becomes irregular, the attacks can recur. Thus even with apparent total recovery, periodic check-ups with the psychiatrist are advised.
The cause of this disorder is not known. It may be caused by a chemical defect in the brain. Imbalance of neuro-transmittors glutamate and dopamine has been associated with the disorder. Some studies also ahow physical abnormalities in the brain structure of schizophrenics with enlargement of fluid-filled cavities (ventricles), in the interior of the brain and decreased size of certain brain regions.
There may also be a genetic basis to the illness as children having a schizophrenic parent have a 10% more chance of developing the disorder. Recent research suggests that the disorder results when neurons or nerve cells form inappropriate connections during foetal development. These errors may lie dormant until puberty, when changes in the brain that occur normally during this period interact adversely with the faulty connections. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ According to the revised fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR), to be diagnosed with schizophrenia, three diagnostic criteria must be met:[4]
1. Characteristic symptoms: Two or more of the following, each present for much of the time during a one-month period (or less, if symptoms remitted with treatment). * Delusions * Hallucinations * Disorganized speech, which is a manifestation of formal thought disorder * Grossly disorganized behavior (e.g. dressing inappropriately, crying frequently) or catatonic behavior * Negative symptoms—affective flattening (lack or decline in emotional response), alogia (lack or decline in speech), or avolition (lack or decline in motivation)
If the delusions are judged to be bizarre, or hallucinations consist of hearing one voice participating in a running commentary of the patient's actions or of hearing two or more voices conversing with each other, only that symptom is required above. The speech disorganization criterion is only met if it is severe enough to substantially impair communication.
2. Social/occupational dysfunction: For a significant portion of the time since the onset of the disturbance, one or more major areas of functioning such as work, interpersonal relations, or self-care, are markedly below the level achieved prior to the onset. 3. Duration: Continuous signs of the disturbance persist for at least six months. This six-month period must include at least one month of symptoms (or less, if symptoms remitted with treatment).
Use xylitol, or stevia, from health food stores, instead of sugar. Google: "schizophrenia; alternative treatments" You may be one of the fortunate ones who can manage without using medications, with their risks, and side effects, so consider having a trial period of, say, 6 months, to see if they are adequate. Even if insufficient for your needs, they can still be used as complementary treatments, which may well reduce the amount of medications you eventually require, with their risks, and side effects. Take at least 4 Omega 3 fish oil supplements, daily: (certified free of mercury) it is best if consumed with an antioxidant, such as an orange, or its FRESHLY SQUEEZED juice.
SUPPORT GROUPS: www.schizophrenia.com/coping.html & www.mdjunction.com/schizophrenia & http://www.dailystrength.org/c/Schizophrenia/support-group & http://www.healthcentral.com/schizophrenia/support-groups.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SCHIZOPHRENIA: CARING FOR OTHERS: Step 1 Understand that caring for a person with schizophrenia can be exhausting emotionally and physically. Set aside time for yourself to relax and collect your thoughts. Step 2 Become a comfort zone for the person. Let the person know he can come to you with problems or concerns he may have about his illness. Step 3 Keep the person on a daily routine. This will help put him at ease and live life as normally as possible. Step 4 Assist the person with medication. Help the person remember when to take the medication and help him stay on it when he wants to stop taking it. Step 5 Remain patient and calm. Remember: you are there to help, and you cannot help someone with schizophrenia if you can't control your own temper or stay on track yourself. Step 6 Look into joining a support group. This will help both you and the person you are caring for meet people in the same situation. A support group can be a wonderful emotional help as well as a source of practical information. Source(s): http://www.ehow.com/how_2004314_help-per… http://www.healthcentral.com/schizophren… http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?…
Read: Coping With Schizophrenia: A Guide for Families by Kim Tornval Mueser, and Surviving Schizophrenia: A Manual for Families, Patients, and Providers by E. Fuller Torrey, from your bookstore, or Amazon.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(This article is much more easily viewed at the following website): http://www.alternativementalhealth.com/articles/default.htm#S The Standard Recommended "Schizophrenia" Nutritional and Dietary Regimen: A remarkable 90% recovery rate. Based on the works of Abram Hoffer, M.D., pioneer of nutritional psychiatry, as reported in Nutritional Influences on Mental Illness by Melvyn Werbach, M.D. Our grateful acknowledgement to Dr. Hoffer for permission to use his work. The following dietary and nutritional regimen is reported to have over a 90% success rate with patients who are ill for the first time or who are suffering their second or third episode with healthy periods in between. It is reported that after two years over 90% will be well, none will be worse, and none will have tardive dyskinesia (drug-induced involuntary muscular movements). They will have to remain on the regimen many years, perhaps their entire lives. For chronic patients – those who have failed to improve from previous treatment, including those mentally disturbed for years (although not the chronic patients seen in the back wards of mental hospitals)– about 50% will improve after 10 years. However, not all will be working. These results are based on: Six prospective double-blind studies. Personal observations of over 4000 patients.
Studies conducted by colleagues. Letters received from patients who were never personally seen but tried the treatment program. DIET: Elimination of all processed or prepared foods containing added refined sugars and probably 90% of other additives, as foods that contain added sugars usually contain other additives. Elimination diets to remove all foods to which the patient is allergic or sensitive. SUPPLEMENTS: Vitamin B3 (niacin or niacinamide) 0.5 – 2 grams 3 times daily. Vitamin B6 (for many) 250-500 mg daily. A general B vitamin formula. Vitamin C, 3 or more grams daily. Zinc (gluconate or citrate) 50 mg daily.
Manganese 15-30 mg daily (if there is danger of tardive dyskinesia). I also use omega three essential fatty acids rich in EPA and less rich in DHA. The best preparation contains three times as much EPA as it does DHA. I use four large capsules twice daily. The product I use is Kirunal (http://www.fincastle.com/) Nutrition and Mental Illness by: Carl C. Pfeiffer, Ph.D., M.D.: Subtitle: An Orthomolecular Approach to Balancing Body Chemistry. Nutrition and Mental Illness: An Orthomolecular Approach to Balancing Body Chemistry Dr. Pfeiffer discusses the critical role vitamins (especially the B-vitamins) and some minerals (copper, zinc) play in helping our complex brains operate properly. He discusses various types of schizophrenia and relates nutritional supplements that seem to be highly effective in returning patients to proper functioning again. He gives many case histories to support his conclusions. He and his staff have developed broad general guidelines regarding which vitamins and minerals are likely to cure various mental functioning problems. His examples are quite convincing and often very moving when a very troubled patient is brought back to a normal existence again. Something I found quite interesting is his approach of giving patients increasing doses of Vitamin B6 until they can remember their dreams.
When asked, he tells his patients: "Dream recall is normal. We want you to be normal. "Main facts or viewpoints I got from this book: Powerful psychotropic medicines are, AT BEST, short-term "fixes" for mental problems. They frequently make a patient much worse in the long term. Giving the brain the vitamins and minerals it needs -- even it that sometimes means much larger doses than the RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) doses -- improves brain functioning much more safely. Without the long-term damage that powerful mind-affecting drugs can and often do cause. My evaluation of Nutrition and Mental Illness: It really opened my eyes to the critical importance of getting adequate levels (very different for different people) of certain vitamins for proper mental functioning, particularly the B-vitamins. As soon as I read the book I immediately started taking a strong (multi-RDA levels) full-spectrum B-vitamin supplement every day. In addition to the lower levels I was getting from a standard daily multivitamin tablet. Why read this book: Many reasons!
To learn what to do to be able to think more clearly; to help improve sleep problems and insomnia; to be emotionally more stable and happier; to understand possible causes for mental limitations that bother you; and to give yourself the knowledge to help yourself feel and think better. It seems to me if large doses of the vitamins discussed in the book can cure severe mental function problems, somewhat smaller doses can help a great many of us just plain think and function better. And vitamins are MUCH cheaper, available, and safer than powerful psychotropic drugs. Cheaper and safer -- I like that. Read the book, see the case histories. Decide for yourself. To give you a better feel for its contents, here are the book's chapter titles: Mental Illness -- Not All in the Mind. Understanding Mental Illness Anxiety and Phobias -- The Copper Connection. High Histamine Can Cause Depression B6 and Zinc -- the Missing Link Brain Allergies, The Dangers of Daily Bread Hypoglycemia -- the Sugar Blues Minerals, Mood Swings, and Manic Depressive Disorders. Drugs -- The Treatment That Leads Nowhere. There is an Alternative to Hospitalization Optimum Nutrition for Mental Health Nutrition Programs for Specific Diseases
Conclusion -- Have Faith in Tomorrow's Medicine. Summary of the Schizophrenias: Useful Addresses Index: Symptoms of schizophrenia: (http://www.cmha.ca/) Schizophrenia often starts slowly. When the symptoms first appear, usually in adolescence or early adulthood, they may seem more bewildering than serious. In the early stages, people with schizophrenia may find themselves losing the ability to relax, concentrate or sleep. They may start to shut long-time friends out of their lives. Work or school begins to suffer; so does their personal appearance. During this time, there may be one or more episodes where they talk in ways that may be difficult to understand and/or start having unusual perceptions. Once it has taken hold, schizophrenia tends to appear in cycles of remission and relapse. When in remission, a person with schizophrenia may seem relatively unaffected and can more or less function in society. During relapse, however, it is a different story. People with schizophrenia may experience one or all of these main conditions: delusions and/or hallucinations, lack of motivation, social withdrawal, thought disorders. Delusions are false beliefs that have no basis in reality. People with schizophrenia may think, for example, that someone is spying on them, listening to their thoughts, or placing thoughts in their minds. Hallucinations most often consist of hearing voices that comment on behaviour, are insulting or give commands. Less often, people with schizophrenia may see or feel things that aren't there. Disorganized thinking makes some people with schizophrenia feel mixed up. In conversation, they may jump randomly from one unrelated topic to another.
Depression and anxiety frequently accompany these feelings. The symptoms of schizophrenia vary greatly from person to person, from mild to severe. A specialist is needed to make the diagnosis, especially because there are no diagnostic tests. Theories about the causes of schizophrenia. We know that schizophrenia is a biological disorder of the brain. The causes are not yet known, but there are several theories. There is strong evidence of important inherited factors. Many researchers are looking for genetic causes of schizophrenia that runs in families. Success may become more likely as genes for complex illnesses are found.
The characteristics of schizophrenia, along with its tendency to ebb and flow in cycles, makes it similar to auto-immune diseases. New technology has provided some recent clues to the causes of schizophrenia. Computer images of brain activity show that the part of the brain that governs thought and higher mental functions behaves abnormally in persons with schizophrenia. Magnetic Resonance Imaging, has shown that the same area in the brain of some people with schizophrenia appears either to have deteriorated or not to have developed normally. Computed Axial Tomography (popularly known as CAT scans) show that the fluid-filled spaces within the brains of people with schizophrenia tend to be larger than those in people without the illness. Even the treatments physicians use today are giving scientists much-needed pieces to the puzzle. For example, some people with schizophrenia respond well when they are given medication that interferes with their body's production of the brain biochemical dopamine. This fact is leading researchers to speculate that either an over-production of dopamine or an over-sensitivity to it has something to do with the illness. Treatments: A number of medications have been found that help bring biochemical imbalances in many people with schizophrenia closer to normal. These medications can help a great deal in lessening hallucinations and delusions, and in helping maintain coherent thoughts. But, they usually have serious side effects contributing to non-compliance with medication and relapse.
Psychotherapy for individuals, groups or families is possible, and can mean a lot to people with schizophrenia and their loved ones. Psychotherapy can offer understanding, reassurance, insights and suggestions for handling the emotional aspects of the disorder and providing less stressful living situations. Families can be a big help. Working closely with health care professionals, family members can learn about the illness. Families can also provide useful information to the health care professionals. They can find ways to support people with schizophrenia and provide a nurturing environment that encourages communication.
symptoms of panic attacks Palpitations, pounding heart, or fast heart rate Sweating Trembling and shaking Sensations of shortness of breath or smothering Feelings of choking Chest pain or discomfort Nausea or abdominal distress Feeling dizzy, unsteady, lightheaded, or faint Derealization (feelings of unreality) or depersonalization (being detached from oneself) Fear of losing control or going crazy Fear of dying Paresthesias (numbness or tingling sensations) Chills or hot flashes www.power2u.org/selfhep/voices.html
Some research suggests that if you put a rubber band around your wrist and snap it each time the distressing voices start, they will decrease in intensity and/or frequency.
Some people have found it particularly helpful to use "I statements". For instance, if a voice begins to tell me I am a whore, worthless, no good, etc. I can say out loud, "Right now I feel worthless, I feel like I am not good, I feel I am a whore", etc. This is very different than saying "the voices say I'm no good, a whore, worthless" etc. In this strategy I say what I am hearing and own it as my thought and when I do this the voices don't have to keep reminding me of it and they quiet down.
Keep a record. Some people have found it helpful to keep a record of the time, place, day and what they were doing just before the voices start up. By keeping a record for a few weeks you may begin to see a pattern. For instance you may begin to notice that your voices start up after visits to your family, after being in crowds, just before work, only when you use alcohol, etc. Once you notice a pattern you can avoid those situations and thereby eliminate the voices related to those situations.
Try some music. Research has shown that for some people using an MP3, etc. and listening to your favorite music can help diminish the intensity of voices. Interestingly, it's not that loud volume "drowns out the voices". Rather, what seems important is that your attention is focused on music you like. Thus, if you really like Metallica but only have a Brahms concerto to play on your walkman, no matter how loud you listen to Brahms it probably won't diminish your voices. So make sure you are listening to music that engages your attention and that you really like!
Don't forget that physical factors can effect the voice hearing experience. For instance, some people find that they hear voices that are particularly distressing when they have a fever or when they are pre-menstrual. Others find voice hearing gets worse after using alcohol, street drugs or over-the-counter drugs such as caffeine, sugar, antihistamines (cold medicines that cause drowsiness, such as Contact, Drixoral), etc. Knowing your body's reaction to fever, PMS, over-the-counter drugs, street drugs and other physical conditions can help you both predict when voices may be most distressing and help you eliminate these factors or at least be able to predict the length of time you will feel acutely distressed. For instance you could say "each time I drink alcohol my voices get worse, so I will stop drinking alcohol" or you might say "each time I am pre-menstrual my voices get worse so I know this will only last for several days and I will arrange for extra support from my friends each month during this time". (See the treatments for PMS at http://your-mental-health.weebly.com/g.html ) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SCHIZOPHRENIA: Also worth checking for schizophrenics is fasting and fish oil. Read: "Part of the heightened clarity of consciousness which Scientific Fasters experience results from fasting's rejuvenating, regenerating, normalizing and stabilizing effect on all the most vital physiological, nervous and mental functions. As early as 1972, Dr. Yuri Nikolayev, director of the fasting clinic of the Moscow Research Institute of Psychiatry, reported on the use of therapeutic fasting to successfully treat over 7000 patients, all suffering from neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and various neuroses, concluding: "The hunger treatment [as Soviet physicians term fasting] gives the entire nervous system and the brain a rest. The body is also cleansed of poisons, and the tissues and the various glands are renovated. Resting of the brain forms the basis for the treatment of various neuropsychiatric disorders. Treatment through fasting is an internal operation, without a scalpel." "
And: "A study from the Orygen Research Centre in Melbourne suggests that omega-3 fatty acids could also help delay or prevent the onset of schizophrenia. The researchers enlisted 81 'high risk' young people aged 13 to 24 who had previously suffered brief hallucinations or delusions and gave half of them capsules of fish oil while the other half received fish-tasting dummy subtitute. One year on, only three percent of those on fish oil had developed schizophrenia compared to 28 percent from those on the substitute, but the result has not yet been published in a peer reviewed journal.[13]" Source(s): http://www.fasting.com/solution.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fish_oil http://www.oilofpisces.com/depression.html#depression ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CAFFEINE ALLERGY: Be aware of this possibility. See: http://www.successfulschizophrenia.org/stories/whalen01.html and if in doubt, consider weaning off, slowly, by replacing 5% - 10% of your coffee with decaf, every week. I am informed that Folgers coffee has negligible caffeine. A list of caffeine sources is on page F, at this website, or Google: "caffeine; dietary sources" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ by j: "when i 14 i was 18 different meds anit depressants mood stabilizer skitzos sleep etc for every med they put me on 4 more things would pop up i was tired all the time i gained 159 lbs in 2 months when i was 18 i just stopped i was of it i took myself off all my meds and i have never been happier"