Everything You Need To Know About Schizophrenia | Niva Bupa

Have you ever come across people who tend to hear voices around them every day with someone actually being there? Or someone that has an expressionless face or confused state of mind. Chances are these people are suffering from Schizophrenia, a mental disease that affects more than 50 million people around the world.

 

Schizophrenia Is A Nutshell

It’s an acute psychiatric disorder, which disconnects people from reality as they experience delusions or hallucinations.

 

Does It Affect Both Men And Women?

Yes, it does, although men are known to be more prone to the disease. Plus, there’s even a 10% of passing on the illness to the next generation. If there are twins, this percentage can go up to 50%.

 

What Causes Schizophrenia?

The causes of schizophrenia can be broken down into 3 major categories

 

Genetics

It’s in the genes. The disorder has been known to be passed on from one generation to the other so it’s one of the major factors. Also, hormonal changes and excessive stress have also shown to cause Schizophrenia.

 

Biology

It’s a lot to do with the imbalance of brain chemicals or neurotransmitters in the brain that affects the ability of the brain to react to stimuli. This explains why a schizophrenic has a problem of processing different sights, sounds smell and tastes and also the phenomenon of hallucinations and delusions.

 

Environmental And Other Factors

Immune diseases and viral infections in infants have resulted in them having Schizophrenia in life later. Plus, excessive use of drugs and narcotics can induce Schizophrenia. And so do high levels of stress.

 

So, What Are The Symptoms

Here is the list of symptoms that you need to worry about:
 

• The constant fear of being watched or followed
• Hearing or seeing people who are not there
• Slurring speech or statements
• Detachment towards people or situations
• A loss in work productivity at work
• Neglecting personal hygiene and appearance
• Isolation from others
• Irrational and angered response
• Lack of concentration

 

How To Treat It?

Schizophrenia does not have a cure to date though, various treatments can reduce the symptoms and allow the person to lead a normal life. Here are ways to treat it.

 

Medication

Usually, people with Schizophrenia are offered anti-psychotic medicines, which helps to control the hallucinations, delusions, and psychosis in the patient.

 

Therapy And Counselling

This means long hours of counseling sessions with a psychiatrist whom the patient to overcome the disorder. Plus, emotional and mental support from family and friends has shown reduced relapses of the symptom.

 

Rehabilitation Program

This means providing skills to the patient to regain basic skills such as shopping, cooking, socializing, problem-solving and stress management.

 

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