Schizophrenia, what is it?
Schizophrenia is a rare, serious mental disorder, which affects humans. Only one percentage of human population ends up with this brain disease. Schizophrenia interferes in the normal functioning of brain. This illness induces disorganised or highly irrational behaviour in humans. Schizophrenia changes the feelings, consciousness, thoughts, and understandings of individuals’. Schizophrenia patients’ struggles to undertake responsibilities, think coherently, interact normally, and express emotions properly.
Factors that causes Schizophrenia
For the development of schizophrenia, inherited factor such as Chemical imbalance inside the brain is essential. Genetic, environmental, as well as behavioural factors have role in occurrence of schizophrenia. Generally, one gender is prone to schizophrenia if the factors are environmental and genetic. During childhood, males have greater chance to have schizophrenia. During adolescence, adulthood males as well as females have equal chance to have schizophrenia.
Who are prone to schizophrenia?
Symptoms of schizophrenia appear first among men during later part of teenage or during earlier twenties. However, among women it appears while their twenties or initial part of thirties. Children born in a family, which has schizophrenia patients, have greater chance to have schizophrenia unlike other children. There is around eight-percentage chance for the sibling of a schizophrenia patient to have the disease. There is around fifteen-percentage chance for kid of a schizophrenia patient to have the disease.
Symptoms of schizophrenia
Unusual behaviour
Social isolation
Difficulty in undertaking responsibilities at office or school
Unrealistic Superiority complex
Extremely varying moods
Delusions
No control over emotions
Hallucinations
Acute anxiety
Abnormal as well as detailed ideas or thoughts
Disorganised behaviour
Inability to differentiate reality from dreams
Confused thinking process
Extreme suspicion
These are the main symptoms of schizophrenia. Symptoms such as delusions, abnormal behaviour, hallucinations etc comes under positive symptoms, while symptoms like social isolation, inability to control emotions etc comes under negative symptoms.
Children experiences only auditory hallucinations. Adults experiences delusions, thought disorders and all other effects. Schizophrenia symptoms might look like that of other mental illnesses. Therefore, for diagnosis of schizophrenia, it is better to consult a doctor or psychiatrist.
Treatment for schizophrenia
Doctor will consider the age, medical history, degree of illness, overall health, expectation regarding the future course of illness, reactions to certain therapies or medications or procedures, preference of the patient before determining a suitable treatment.
Unlike other mental illnesses, the treatment meant for schizophrenia is generally complex. A combination of medications and therapies might be essential for meeting the requirements of individual schizophrenia patients. Neuroletptics medications, antipsychotic medications, electroconvulsive therapy, individual as well as family psychotherapy, specialized educational programs, schizophrenia support groups etc are the major treatments for schizophrenia. Neuroleptic medicines reduce the severity of the hallucinations as well as delusions. Antipsychotic medications are for fighting against psychotic illness symptoms.ECT is for faster recovery from symptoms.
Preventive measures for avoiding schizophrenia
There is no preventive measure currently known for avoiding schizophrenia. Early detection as well as intervention can help in improving the schizophrenia patients’ lives. Treatments will be successful only if there is prompt and proper addressing of initial psychotic symptoms. Patients must comply with the medicines prescribed by doctors. For maintaining the effectiveness of treatment, there must be variation in of medications as well as dosages. For detailed information, please consult a doctor.
Physical and psychological causes of schizophrenia
According to most scientists, psychiatric problems arise when multiple factors combine, the most common ones being psychological, physical, social and environmental factors. The causes of schizophrenia that are physical and psychological are discussed hereunder:
Physical causes
Genetics: Since schizophrenia runs through families, making one more prone to the illness, researchers are trying to find out the responsible gene. The fact has been established by conducting a study of identical against un-identical twins, brought up separately, with general public.
In case of identical twins, if one develops the disease, 50% chances are the other would develop it too. Whereas, in case of un-identical twins the risk reduces to 15%. The general public has only 1% risk. This proves that though genetics is a factor, it is not the sole factor.
The neurotransmitter system, i.e. a chemically defined body’s messenger system, which is altered by schizophrenia medications, establishes that they certainly have a role to play. Studies suggest that excessive or deficit levels of serotonin or dopamine or a change in the nerve-cell receptor sensitivity could be troublesome. .
Since schizophrenic patients boast fewer blood fatty acids, (upon which the membrane structure of the membranes surrounding the neuron depends), genetic factors influencing the nerve cell metabolism and membrane structure could be problematic.
Unusual brain development: Some Studies have revealed abnormal brain structure or abnormal brain functioning in patients. However, neither is bound to be present nor are they typical to schizophrenia.
Often a small change in the number of brain cells, or distribution abnormalities, perhaps present even before the onset of the illness, could cause schizophrenia, since the patient’s show such brain cell abnormalities.
The mental disorder could also be a form of developmental disorder, caused from unnatural neuron connections, formed with the development of the fetus. The cause may go unnoticed till abnormalities strike during puberty.
Infection: Here the causes for schizophrenia include various kinds of viral infections, such as flu, poliovirus and encephalitis lethargica.
Birth complications: Here the schizophrenia cause could be pregnancy or delivery complications and abnormal growth of the baby fetus. Some factors to watch out for are:
Diabetes, bleeding, or pregnancy complications like pre-eclampsia.
Irregular growth of the fetus or developmental problems like smaller head
perimeter or reduced birth weight.
Delivery complications like asphyxia or oxygen lack, or cases of an emergency Caesarean.
Nevertheless, these factors are not as predominant as schizophrenia causes as factors like genetic disorders.
Severe head injury: Accidents or falls could be a cause of schizophrenia, though how it really affects the brain stays unknown. Perhaps such injuries in childhood could defect the make-up of the genes, prompting the disease
As against the popular belief, schizophrenia is not caused by drugs, though drugs like LSD, cannabis, or amphetamines could cause brain disturbance causing the first episode, especially if one has a family history or suffers from bad mental health.
Psychological causes
What causes schizophrenia here are primarily excessive stress, like job loss, death, or child’s birth, etc.
Social factors are important considerations too, even for those not having it in their genes. These include conditions like individual or institutional racism, poor housing, low level of employment, etc. Social isolation, caused by factors like belonging to the minority groups could also trigger the cause.
Schizophrenia Symptoms to watch out for
In schizophrenia, a patient’s inner behavior and world changes drastically. Some of the most common signs and symptoms of schizophrenia are hallucinations, depersonalization, delusions, etc. They may not look ill but might behave bizarrely as the illness builds up. For instance they may cover themselves with aluminum foil to- what they might believe-prevent broadcasting of their thoughts and to protect their brain from harmful waves.
The signs of schizophrenia vary greatly, and in developed cases, the patient may talk illogically or may get angry at imaginary threats. In passive phases they may show a lack of movement, emotion, personality etc. Predictable or unpredictable behavior and alternating between these extremes is common.
Clusters of symptoms concept must be understood to understand schizophrenia symptoms. The symptoms can be grouped as:
- Positive symptoms of schizophrenia– Suspiciousness, hearing voices, delusions, etc.
- Negative symptoms of schizophrenia– Difficulties in speaking and taking personal care, social withdrawal, inability to feel any pleasure, etc.
- Cognitive symptoms– Difficulties in remembering, understanding or analyzing simple things.
- Mood or affective symptoms– mostly relating to depression (often causing suicide).
Some helpful definitions to figure out schizophrenia are:
- Psychosis, i.e. being out of reality. It is marked by hallucinations and delusions. Patients are unaware of reality and imagine things that are unreal. It is prominent to schizophrenia, though not unique to the disease.
- Schizoidor personality disorder, where the patient becomes withdrawn from the society, looking aloof and cold. The emotions and interpersonal settings are restricted.
- Schizotypa, i.e., severe personality disorder. This schizophrenia symptom makes the patient eccentric and odd. They behave bizarrely, showing disturbances in perception.
- Hallucinations, i.e. imagining things. One might sense seeing, feeling, hearing, tasting, etc things that are simply ‘mind’s tricks’.
- Illusion, i.e. wrong perception of things that exist. Like a shadow perceived as a person. It is often confused with hallucination.
- Delusion, i.e. believing in something established as false. For instance the patient might hear the radio warning an extraterrestrial invasion, while it only maybe talking about a road repair schedule.
The different types of schizophrenia and their schizophrenic symptoms are:
- Paranoid-type, i.e. hallucinations and delusions, of being unjustifiable persecuted or being some other (famous) individual. Overall intellectual functioning is normal, though the patient show excessive anger, argumentativeness, anxiety and aloofness.
- Disorganized-type, showing disorganized behavior and speech, inappropriate emotions, etc. For instance the patient may laugh at changing traffic light colors. Normal activities like showering, dressing, etc may get disrupted because of disorganized behavior.
- Catatonic-type, i.e., movement disturbances. The patient may be unusually immobile, too mobile, silent for long hours, or may talk and repeat things insensibly, proving inability to take personal care.
- Undifferentiated-typeshowing schizophrenia symptoms observed in other types but not matching particularly with one given case.
- Residual-typemarked by minimum one past schizophrenia history in a patient not presently exhibiting the positive symptoms. It could be transition period, on the way to absolute remission, sometimes continuing for years without exhibiting any psychotic episodes.
Schizophrenia Treatment
Before talking about the disease of schizophrenia, it should be first understood that here we are talking about a disease that is chronic and cannot be completely cured in the lifetime of the patient suffering form the disease of schizophrenia. One has to live with it, though proper schizophrenia treatment can effectively lessen the symptoms and mange the situation well enough for the benefit of the sufferer. According to the researches done in some developed countries, it has been observed that out of every one hundred cases, over twenty to thirty five schizophrenia patients generally tend to show a lot of improvement once the treatment is done. However, unfortunately about seventy percent of the patients in question also show a relapse in their health conditions, in about two to five years or so, following their discharge from the hospital after their schizophrenic treatment. The risks of the occurrence of a relapse generally fall drastically after about ten years following the preliminary inception.
For those patients suffering from schizophrenia that experienced their first symptoms, in an acute form, just after their adolescence, and it includes what is termed as ‘positive symptoms’, a positive outcome in the long run maybe experienced. However, sadly enough, a weak prognosis is related to a number of conditions. Some of these conditions are discussed hereunder:
Gradual and slow onset, which begins to occur at quite a tender age, could be a major cause to worry about for the patient suffering from any of the subtypes of schizophrenia.
Belonging to the male gender, might often trigger the problem, for the person suffering from schizophrenia.
No evident sign of precipitating is yet another major factor that should be watched out for.
Often a prevalence of what has been termed as ‘negative symptoms’ have also been noticed be reason to worry. They tend to worsen the cause for the patient.
Holding up of receiving the required treatment obviously acts as quite an unfavorable cause for the concerned person.
Having it in genes, such that the family history traces conditions of disorder in the past generations of the order, makes the schizophrenic patient all the more prone to the cause.
Incidence of some other conditions in the patient suffering from the disease of schizophrenia, such as conditions of substance abuse may worsen the situation even further.
It has been observed that most of the individuals who undergo schizophrenia treatments tend to recover from the disease considerably. However, to make this happen the first vital factor that is important to ensure is that the patient remains on the medication prescribed, and that there is no lapse in the course of treatment of schizophrenia. Any miss in the treatment could lead to a relapse of the schizophrenic conditions in the patient suffering from the disease of schizophrenia, even if the lapse occurred during the phase of no-psychotic episodes. The general recovery rate had been calculated by experts to be about twenty nine to up to eighty three patients in every hundred patients suffering from the disease of schizophrenia, undergoing the treatment. However it is important to know that over twenty to even thirty percent patients tend to show deterioration in their health status than showing any form or recovery.
It is often possible for a patient suffering from the disease of schizophrenia to recover, if the treatment includes the correct combination of services, such as medication, termed as ‘pharmacologic management’, and various types of rehabilitation programs. These rehabilitation programs maybe carried out in both inpatient settings as well as in outpatient settings, making excellent schizophrenia alternative treatment or part of primary schizophrenia treatment options.
Most of the people who are diagnosed with the disease of schizophrenia have to undergo a case of hospitalization, at least some point or the other, over the span of their phase of their disorder. In maximum number of cases it has been seen that hospitalization tends to become inevitable when the patient suffering form symptoms of schizophrenia, is going through or in any way experiencing one of the acute or most severe of his or her psychotic attacks. This is owing to the fact that this is the time when the patient is most uncontrollable and is in the most vulnerable situation too. Intensive care and observation in the hospital is a must during these episodes. This is also true for such schizophrenia patients who are facing symptoms and signs that pose great risk and danger to physical and mental safety too. This danger could be a treat to not only the patient suffering from the disease of schizophrenia, but also sometimes a threat to the people around him or her. These are generally the worst case scenarios.
For other patients suffering from schizophrenia, there are, on a daily basis, care program options too. If permitted by the doctor, the patient could be admitted here instead, as good alternative to the choice of hospitalization. A major advantage of these programs is that they do not expose the patient to an unknown and unfriendly environment that could be sometimes suffocating. Here, the patients suffering form the disease of schizophrenia get to remain in more familiar environment. Thus they are saved from stigmas that come up when the patient in question gets shut away from friends and peers for long spans of time, as they are undergoing the treatment for their disease. In a way, thus, the ‘side effects’ of hospitalization can be easily avoided by opting for such programs. Generally outpatient treatments are highly recommended for such patients suffering from schizophrenia who have faced acute or serious symptoms of severe attacks of paranoia. These treatments are highly beneficial because of the reason that there is a greater scope of developing all the more exclusive physiatrist-patient relationship. This ensures that the patient’s obvious desire for greater autonomy is fulfilled. These factors are all the more important when one has to undergo prolonged medical treatment for schizophrenia.
Supportive Therapy Schizophrenia
The working and the process of Supportive Therapy Schizophrenia
For schizophrenia sufferers, the Supportive Therapy Schizophrenia is an extremely important stage of treatment. This is owing to the fact that here the patients learn and develop such skills hat helps them support themselves adequately as they are on their way to receiving ultimate healing from the disease.
A number of life kills are imparted here, for instance the patient learns how to administer their medications, and are taught the art of socializing with success. They learn how to mange their daily relations and deal well with friends and other loved ones too. Here the patients also learn how to control and manage their money and ultimately how to once again enter the job market with confidence. The community resources are helped to identify with, so that they may be utilized for their own benefits.
In this treatment, dwelling on the present situation, that reflects the current mental state of the patient is regarded as the most helpful approach. Talking about the patient’s past may not be much required. The current status of the patient’s life should be taken up, discussed and sorted out, so that they may be able to lead a much normal life, in spite of the illness.
Ordinarily, this therapy begins with the healthcare professional helping the patient recognize the symptoms of the disease, before the episode really strikes. This helps them become more aware of themselves, so they may take immediate precautions, in case of a future relapse, the potential of which is often there.
In Supportive Therapy Schizophrenia, for ensuring continuity, the patient should be carefully and lightly introduced d to various, specialized programs that are community based.
Also, besides the professional treatment of the patients under supervised conditions of experts, a lot of benefit can also be given to the patients by close friends and family members. If they are supportive enough, and can make good friends, coping with the illness gets a lot easier for the Schizophrenia patient.
In fact in case of Schizophrenia patients, it would not be wrong to say, that if such support and help from familiar sources, helps the patient either cope with their illness or helps them recover their inherent but now lost abilities, so that they may be used for leading a more normal life, then this aspect should be regarded as an intimate part of the Supportive Therapy Schizophrenia.
After all it cannot be denied that the goal of this treatment of Supportive Therapy Schizophrenia is to basically result in helping the patients cope with their disease, whether the treatment is informal or whether the treatment is formal. The idea is ultimately one and the same, that is to give the patient suffering from schizophrenia, practical advice on related issues that bother them, and give them encouragement, and the bonding of friendship, so that it may convince the patent that the situation can get better, and that they can still enjoy normal family and social lives.
All about prognosis of schizophrenia
Though it is important to understand the fact that there is not particular cure as such for the disease of schizophrenia, it helps to know that there are a number of treatments that can help manage the disease. They reduce the symptoms reduce the chances of future possibilities of episodes, also reducing their duration. Overall, with their help, one can lead a much more normal life. Correct prognosis for schizophrenia and treatment as in proper counseling of the patient’s supplemented with the right medications can give amazing results. They gel better in the society and perform better in life. The net result after prognosis schizophrenia can be almost like cure.
A decade following the first paranoid schizophrenia prognosis of the disease, about 50% pf the patients are found to be leading a life that is either perfectly normal, where they have completely recovered, or are at least capable enough to work and function independently. About 25% of the remaining show reasonable improvement, but needing strong support, while another 15% do not show any traces of improvement at all, and need to stay hospitalized. Only 10% of the patients suffer death that is unfortunately more often due to suicide as a means to end the pain. When the conditions are viewed from the 30 year perspective, the results are mostly the same, except for the fact that more patients seem to begin leading a more normal life. However the percentage of suicides also shows a sharp increase to about 15%. Statistics show that women tend to recover better form their schizophrenic symptoms as compared to the males.
However, it is an unfortunate fact that schizophrenic patients show greater tendency to attempt suicide than the overall percentage of suicidal tendency in the rest of the population. There can be various reasons for this, like depression and psychosis related anxieties and fears, when one realized the fact in utter hopelessness that a chronic and serious disease has developed that can change their lives. Just like in case of the other people of the general population, even in the case of the schizophrenic patients, it is tough to decide if one has a suicide risk.
Though we may not tend to take the talks of any other person discussing suicide too seriously, the situation is different when the person discussing suicide had had a prognosis in schizophrenia. It is important to get immediate medical help if such a person talks about suicide, or seems to be having thoughts of suicide in mind. Even if half heartedly, the patient seems to be quietly collecting away stocks of harmful pills or say razor or rope, or any other instrument of self harm or suicide, the condition should not be taken up lightly. Immediate steps must be taken to prevent any mishap. The right treatment, at the earliest possible stage of developing three suicidal tendencies, with proper counseling and right mediation can help deal with the risk, which is generally only temporary.
The Pathophysiology of Schizophrenia in Children
Since paranoid schizophrenia pathophysiology is not very common in children, it becomes all the more difficult to diagnose the case initially. Though the exact cause of this disease is not understood, various environmental, genetic, bio-chemical and brain change causes could be responsible for it. However the earlier the diagnosis, and treatment, the better it is for the child.
It is quite notable that the schizophrenia symptoms of the kids suffering form the disease varies quite a lot from the symptoms that are seen in the disease suffering adults. Some of the most common symptoms seen in schizophrenic children are listed as follows:
- Hallucinating or seeing such things or/and hearing voices that are actually not present at all
- Showing odd or eccentric behavioral ,and/or even an odd and incorrect speech pattern
- Having bizarre thoughts or unusual ideas
- Having dreams that are confusing, but related to television or even reality
- Having a confused thinking pattern in general
- Showing extreme cases of moodiness without much of a valid reason
- Having paranoia, that is believing that people want to get them or are discussing them
- Facing critical fearfulness and serious anxiety problems
- Having difficulty in relating to their peers, and even maintaining friendships
- Staying withdrawn in excessive isolation form the rest of the people
- Showing a consistent lack in their personal hygiene measures
When a child begins to suffer form schizophrenia, the behavior change occurs very gradually. For instance, a child who used to be otherwise quite sociable suddenly might begin to stay more withdrawn. They may become shy and withdrawn, clinging on more than normal to their partners. They will talk about weird ideas and reflect strange thoughts. Overall, these symptoms generally get noticed for the first time by school teachers, who can see the differences most clearly.
It is important in pathophysiology schizophrenia child cases ensure that a complete evaluation is done for those children whop could be suffering form this disease. For appropriate pathophysiology of paranoid schizophrenia the parents must make sure that they get in touch with a physiatrist, especially one who is an adolescent or a child psychiatrist. This is because they are better trained at handling cases of child schizophrenia. They can better evaluate, diagnose and treat such kids, according to the most desired, comprehensive plan of treatment. This should include various relevant aspects that could affect their mental state. The plans generally revolve around proper medications, individual child therapy, therapy of the child’s family, along with a number of programs revolving around the child’s daily activities, school, etc. the right medication given to these children can go long way in dealing with the problems and symptoms of schizophrenia. The better the treatment procedure is monitored, along with the medications that are prescribed, the more positive the results could be.
Group therapy for schizophrenia including family members
Generally referred to as psychosocial therapy, or psychotherapy, group therapy schizophrenia has been proved to be quite beneficial, though the number of documentation made on this aspect of the treatment, remains limited. However, it is important to know that this treatment is not just beneficial for the one suffering from the disease but is also a boon for the ones close to the patient, like the family members who are important aspects of the patient’s life.
Group therapy for schizophrenia can be performed in a number of ways. The first way is when a number of patients going through the same situation and emotions are introduced, so that they may get together in a group and discuss and identify their problems and strategies on coping with the cause.
The second way is by switching on to the online forums. These are support forums available online for patients and families that have been in any way affected by the disease, no matter which part of the world they belong to. This form of group therapy for schizophrenia been proven to be quite useful, as it successfully helps is calming down the tension and helping in solving it in a careful way.
The group therapy is helpful for the family and the close ones to the patients in the sense that they learn how to recognize and handle the symptoms before any episode of attack on the patient, and dealing with crisis. Not only the patents but also the family members can thus contribute to handling the situation, when things begin to go out of hand.
Generally the treatment centers are centrally located, so that each of the family members can conveniently locate to the place. The more experienced of the people in the family can give better advise and support to those who have just been attacked by the disease.
They, for instance, might act as their sponsors or mentors and offer help whenever they may need it. They could give a twenty four hour phone number so that they may be comfortably contacted whenever things seem to be getting out of hand, and an advice is required. They can tell them more about the symptoms to watch out for, and what to do during the attacks.
The support groups provide the family members with sympathy, when they feel frustration, resentment, impatience, despair or sibling-jealousy. They can provide them with motivation and help them cope with these feelings.
Also, in cases when they begin to feel isolated and alone form the rest of the world, a group therapy can provide them with assurance that they are not the only ones. This makes them feel more positive and supported, and they can discuses their sentiments without feeling being judged.
Being one of those illnesses, that are most misunderstood, it is not rare to see, that the same misunderstanding is shared among the family members of the patient too. Since there is no ultimate cure for the disease, group therapy proves to be one of the most effective procedures available.
Schizophrenia vs Delusions
All you need to know about delusional disorder and its symptoms
Delusion disorder like in the case of schizophrenia is marked by the incidence of schizophrenic delusions in the patient that goes on for minimum one month; often involving psychotic themes that could be grandiose, persecutory, jealous, somatic, etc. however, unlike schizophrenia, hallucinations are hardly prominent, unless of course it is something that is delusion related. This disorder usually begins much later in life than an average case of paranoid delusional schizophrenia, and thus the damage caused is known be less in comparison. For instance, the impairing of the normal functioning of the patient’s mind, affecting their work, capacity to care for self, manage relationships, etc, is less prominent in this disease, as against the damage caused in case one is having problems of delusions in schizophrenia, especially the severe types of delusions in schizophrenia.
Before confirming the case of schizophrenic delusion, there are certain symptoms that must be watched out for. Some of the most basic symptoms that have been especially given for this particular disease, by the DSM-IV-TR, that must be most surely checked out, before diagnosing any delusion suffering patient with delusional schizophrenic are given as follows:
- Occurrence of symptoms that look bizarre but connect deeply to real life incidents that is truly possible. These may not be related to the patient’s life or past at all. These are symptoms that the patient begins to imagine in his disease attack phase. These include various symptoms like feeling of being followed and stalked, or being poisoned or infected by something. It may also revolve around feelings of being loved form a distance, or being decided by one’s lover or spouse. It may also resemble delusions like the schizophrenia delusions of grandeur and schizophrenia religious delusions. These paranoid schizophrenia delusions go for minimum one month.
- The above criteria of delusions in schizophrenia is also applicable where schizophrenia is detected but has never been met.
- However, one should not wait for the schizophrenia and delusions to particularly start reflecting in the patient’s behavior and usual lifestyle. They are not categorically capable of impairing the person’s attitude towards regular pattern of things that should make them explicitly visible to the cause.
- It is also important to check if the delusions of schizophrenia were accompanied with mood episodes or not. If yes, the time duration of the two occurrences in regard to each other must me noted down carefully. Typically, the duration of the mood episode is supposed to be less ion comparison with the duration of the delusion episode, when both the occurrences happen together.
- To confirm that the patient is indeed suffering from, schizophrenia delusional disorder, it is vital to first ensure that the disturbance in their psychological conditions is not owing to any form of substance intake. This should include any substance capable of causing psychological impact, like drugs, medications etc. it includes various types of general medications too.
Is there a cure for schizophrenia
If you have been asking ‘is there a cure for schizophrenia?’ unfortunately the answer is no. schizophrenia can’t be completely cured, however if proper steps are taken then the symptoms can be handled to almost complete cure. Schizophrenia that occurs due to the inherent primitive and wild conscience lingering in human brain, can only be successfully dealt with to achieve cure to schizophrenia, if the patient is ready to go through the process of indispensable pain that will be caused during the recovery procedure. The cure is both medicinal and natural cure for schizophrenia. Natural cures for schizophrenia or schizophrenia natural cure mostly revolves around counseling and determination building procedures.
Though the suffering is bad, no less are the symptoms of this disease. Some of the most painful symptoms are hallucinations, repetitive and absurd thoughts, gearing screeches, and overall feeling of emptiness in mind, that gives the sense of absolute loss of one’s equilibriums.
For schizophrenic patients it is vital to stay strong and determined as a route of cure to schizophrenia. Though resistance is required to fight the insistent and powerful evil conscience that conquers the human instincts of the patient’s brain, and begins to control their activities.
To know how to cure schizophrenia first recognize this evil side of the conscience that causes the attacks, so that the human side of the instincts can be respected and forced to come out to the surface with persistent efforts.
It is important that one learns how to become patient when experiencing hallucinations, and not let them completely take over. Understanding that it is just like a bad dream without the eyes closed, where the mnind begins to project images and situations that are actually not present, helps and greatly cures schizophrenia.
The difference between the reality and hallucinations is that in hallucinations, extravagant colors are dormant in the images, and the patient is only playing passive role in the scene. The eyes begin to observe a number of things all together and the patient ultimately forgets the real world and what he or she is actually doing.
Thus the images should not be followed. The patient must keep their focus on the object that is real and keep fighting the images away so that they do not take over. If’ this can be done successfully, the images are certain to stop after a while and ultimately fade away. This must be done for cure for schizophrenia when any schizophrenic symptom is faced.
These symptoms indicate the worst stage that begins from neurosis and even hysteria, ending in psychosis and finally schizophrenia.
The basic mechanism of craziness in all kinds or forms ultimately remains the same. The only cause of variation is varying degrees of anti conscience prevalence in the mind.
This anti-conscience is nothing but an unknown enemy that has developed because it never went through the transformation that the rest of the human side of the patient has seen. A cure for schizophrenia is possible if one tries to fight it away, since it can stay powerful only as long as one does not resist it.
Strength and seriousness is important. Psychotherapy can get easier with dream interpretation. The patient must recognize their enemy, instead of following them. During the initial stages of dream interpretation, it is vital to have somebody’s consistent support.
A schizophrenia patient should always be accompanied by at least one person. Though staying in larger groups helps even more. However, no matter how much the company tries to help cure schizophrenia, ultimately, it is the personal determination that really matters for cure of schizophrenia.
Dream interpretation can teach one how to be resistant. Cures for schizophrenia and schizophrenia natural cures can become easier for those who have managed to successfully eliminate their egos.
Schizophrenia and Medication
Though schizophrenia does not have any cure as such, the right combination of schizophrenic medications and counseling can go a long way in treating the disease. Although both the therapies are important in their own way, medication is especially necessary to efficiently lessen the acute symptoms. It is important to understand that purely depending on the psychosocial therapy without the assistance of schizophrenic medication can hardly help a patient.
The worth of the antipsychotic schizophrenia medication compliance cannot be underestimated. They can help in reducing the duration and episodes of the symptoms milder also decreasing their frequency. Though they are not exactly percent for the cure, most patients tend to benefit from it. According to the statistics, about seventy percent of those under drugs show improvement while twenty five percent improve, but not as much. Unfortunately, the remaining five percent even show deterioration.
The neuroleptic and Antipsychotic medications are capable of influencing the brain communication neurotransmitter cells. The symptoms of schizophrenia or at least the positive symptoms are said to result from multiple transmitter system problems that includes glutamate, secrotonin, and dopamine, which these drugs are capable of correcting or reducing.
Though these medications for schizophrenia are capable of helping the patient, not all function the same way. Thus no particular schizophrenia medication can be categorically stated as the best option. The effects of the medications vary with patient to patient. The conditions of side effects (the cases of which can be sometimes serious) must also be carefully observed. The dosage and the course of medication for schizophrenia should be balanced and determined for every patient carefully, by either the psychiatrist or, any allied medical expert working under a psychiatrist. The medicines often take up to months to begin showing visible effects, and thus lots of patience is required while having medication treatment for schizophrenia.
The Atypical and Generation of Medicine
There can be two types of medication of schizophrenia including paranoid schizophrenia medications: The ‘typical drugs’ of the first generation and the ‘atypical drugs’ and the dopamine partial agonists of the second generation. The first kind belongs to the very first family of schizophrenia medications including drugs like loxapine, thoridazine, thiothixene, fluphenazine, trifluoperazine, chlorpromazine and haloperidol. The send generation, developed much later includes: clozapine, risperidone, olanzapine, ziprasidone, aripiprazolea and quetiapine. The name of these drugs and the difference between these names helps in determining how they are expected to work. While the typical drugs of the first generation are expected to work by affecting the dopamine, the atypical schizophrenia medications were supposed to affect the neurotransmitter system. However, according to the latest researches, both classes of drugs mostly revolve around affecting the dopamine.
However, in spite of this fact, the typical drugs can have certain advantages over the typical ones in schizophrenia medication treatment. For instance, in schizophrenia treatment medication they are supposed to provide greater relief form negative symptoms, better prevention form relapses and capacity to function, less of EPS and TD, and less scope of cognitive impairment.
Effect of Schizophrenia on a Patient’s Handwriting
‘Schizophrenia’, the brain disease, in Greek means a ‘split mind’. This explains how the schizophrenia patients tend to suffer form hallucinations and delusions in varying forms, like hearing voices that do not exist, or see such things or perceive such situations that are actually not present anywhere around them. For a number of years, scientists considered the problem of multiple personality disorder a form of schizophrenia, and in fact people still tend to get confused between the two during diagnosis. One of the most vital causes for this confusion is the similarity in handwriting among patients suffering from these diseases.
Lots of work has been done in order to establish what the characteristics present in a schizophrenic handwriting are.
A schizophrenia patient’s handwriting is often quite distinguished. Those who trust graphology and its science can even tell the typical traits of schizophrenia handwriting. For instance, their handwriting is usually quite illegible as well as chaotic by nature. Many a tines the words or the letters could be missing too. In many cases, they have been seen to write in multiple languages, all in one sentence, and such a jumble that they only would be able to completely understand it properly. Sometimes, they cab write perfectly normal too, before getting back to their confused writing pattern once again after a while.
Some of the most prominent attributes to their handwriting are:
Use of capital letters: the capital letters and pen strokes may get reversed and disconnected. They even show a tendency like many internet using teenagers (these teenagers cannot be called schizophrenic though), who suddenly start writing capital letters in the middle of their words.
Multiple writing style: often schizophrenia handwriting shows multiple handwriting styles in the very same page. They write in varying styles, in just one go of writing. However, since multiple personality disorder patients do this too, there is often confusion in regards to which disease the person is actually suffering form.
Strength and handwriting pressure: schizophrenic handwriting of schizophrenia patients often shows great variations in writing pressure for instance while sometimes they may write with very heavy pressure, suddenly they just might begin to write with very light pressure. This happens while they are writing at one go, and not even on different writing occasions, suggesting violent fluctuations in writing feel, in a very short span of time.
However, owing to the excessive variations in symptoms, Schizophrenia often gets tough to diagnose. Sadly there is no fool proof test like blood test, that can be trusted to confirm if the disease. Needless to say, diagnosis depends on careful observation of the patient and of course the patient’s own account of experiences, symptoms and psychotic episodes, this must be done by an expert, who preferably also understands handwriting analysis, so that studying their handwriting can also serve as a profitable tool. Since strangely irregular handwriting is definitely a characteristic feature, it can help predicting if the disease is present, and if professional help might be sought. Though of course, graphology may not always make perfectly accurate prediction, it definitely can be counted on for suggestions.
Reduce Schizophrenia Risk with Fish Oil
The latest research study suggests that fish oil can have a dramatic effect on schizophrenic patients, helping them recover a lot better.
As per the opinion of the research center director, Professor Patrick McGorry, this can prove to be quite a major discovery, effecting greatly how we handle this disease in patients. He says that jus like in breast cancer, all that is dealt with is that small lump in the breast that causes the disease to happen and spread, a small false point that could be concentrated on for dealing effectively with schizophrenia could be quite a good discovery. At this point of the discovery and the researches being made, fish oil seems to be throwing a light on this very idea itself.
The study was conducted on randomly selected eighty one individuals, who were at quite a risk. These were people aged between eighteen to twenty five, who had reported experiencing delusions and hallucinations. They were divided into two groups, one of which received 1.5 grams (approximately) fish oil capsule. The other was given nothing. This was done for three months. After one year, a follow up was doe to review their status. While the group that received the capsules did much better. With only 5% showing psychotic signs, the other group had 28% members falling prey to psychosis.
Another very effective means of controlling the disease is early prevention. According to a lead researcher, it can go a long way in dealing and even sometimes avoiding the disease. The other group which was at over 7 times more risk than the other group, faced such a situation simply owing to the fact that correct precautions were not taken early as in case of the other group. Even a show of effective care and compassion to a person at risk can yield results that could help immensely.
Needless to say, this study and its conclusions come as big welcoming news for all such people who are not exactly quite eager to depend highly on the anti psychotic medicines. It is after all important for those prone to the disease to know that although early use of these drugs can reduce the risk of schizophrenia by almost 12%, there are various side-effect threats too. For instance, the person might develop risks of cases like heart diseases, weight gain, etc.
Counting on fish oil for preventing and controlling the spread of the disease is thus quite a good as well as a non-invasive means. It can be conveniently prescribed and used by the people who might be at risk of the disease. It just might save a number of them from the trouble after all, at hardly any cost and complications of side-effects.
In fact fish oil can be helpful in dealing with a number of other causes as well. These include a number of mental disease like depression, bipolar disorder etc. it cam even help fight against diseases like various heart diseases, diabetes and also cancer.
Marijuana, Cannabis and Schizophrenia
Many a time’s people tend to wonder if there is any link at all between smoking Marijuana and Schizophrenia. While there have been a number of researches done on this, the results are somewhat mixed. However, there is some form of a link between the two, at least in the terms of the symptoms.
For instance, a study conduced in the year 2005, confirmed that the brains of the adolescents who take marijuana on a regular basis, is not too different from the brain of a schizophrenia patient. The researchers have even proven the fact that the part of the brain which connects it front portion to its deeper regions is underdeveloped in both the cases. In other words the schizophrenia patients and the marijuana smokers both face the same brain abnormality of underdevelopment in the same segment of the brain. However, while this abnormality was seen prevalent only along the brain’s left hand side of such teenagers, schizophrenia patients who also smoke marijuana showed the case of underdeveloped on both the sides of their brains.
According to many other studies, THC is quite capable of causing schizophrenia related symptoms in many a patient. However, many experts do not quite trust this theory. Many started to suggest that perhaps marijuana could trigger the cause of schizophrenia a person if that individual comes from such a family where people have got affected by this disease, or those individuals who have been proving to be quite prone to this disease. A research was thus conducted to conclude these views, and the marijuana facts established were:
It is important to remember that Cannabis and schizophrenia are quite connected. The fact is that cannabinoids is quite capable of resulting in symptoms of acute transient case of the psychotic disease. In addition to this, it is also clear that the cannabis can be expected to exacerbate in the concerned individuals a case of psychosis. This is accompanied by an established form of psychotic disorder. Nevertheless, it is also crucial to bear in mind that regardless of whether cannabis tends to cause the de novo form of psychosis, being independent of the other factors of risk, is a theory not really known by any form of literature in existence as of now. In fact it is more likable that cannabis tends to interact with the other factors like genetic risk for inducing psychosis in patients.
These marijuana facts surely leave a lot to be understood and concluded specifically by the scientists. However, one thing is for sure, that is for all those in whose families’ schizophrenia runs through the bloodline, it is best to avoid marijuana. While marihuana should b avoid anyway, on should take special care not to opt for this drug of there is ay incident of paranoia, in mild or extreme limits, or in fact any symptom that resembles the schizophrenic symptoms. It only means that they are more capable of getting easily effected by this drug, and thus should take precautions.
Paranoid Schizophrenia and Violence
Paranoid schizophrenia and violence associated with this disease
It is not rare to hear stories of violence caused by schizophrenia patients. However, while the media may be promoting news about how they schizophrenia patients might have killed their family members or might have attempted to assassinate political leaders, it is important to understand that they cannot be regarded as violent and dangerous as such, simply owing to the disease. Though it might seem to some that segregating the patients from the rest of the society is the best form of prevention, it is crucial to know that according to the experts such a measure is not really required. Regarding schizophrenic patients as dangerous for the society because of the few cases of violence that get so much attention, is simply, a social stigma that hardly bears much of a meaning. Needless to say, segregating them from the rest of the world can barely help much in controlling the crimes in the modern world.
Though it cannot be denied that mental illness and violence have a link or a connection at least somewhere, the fact remains that the link is hardly as strong as the link between substance abuse and violence. An alcoholic or a person under the impact of drugs is far more capable of causing harm to the society than the schizophrenic patients.
Therefore, instead of following the social stigma that schizophrenic patients are dangerous, the family members must take care of them and provide them with the required help. Generally those suffering form this disease, are in fact far from being violent in nature. Many a times, they are just too depressed and withdrawn form the rest of the world to actually attempt causing them harm. Instead of worrying about their own safety, it would be thus much wiser of the part of the family members and the close ones to worry about violent conditions of suicidal tendencies in the patient.
It is crucial to understand that more of the crimes of violence , that threaten the society and the people today are not caused by people who are mentally ill, but by those who are absolutely normal and can plan their plan actions clearly. After all isn’t the number of people who are mentally fit, more than the number of those who are not a lot more in the crime scenes? A schizophrenic patient requires is not the fear and abandonment of the near and dear ones that can worsen their mental state, but warmth and love, with lots of positive vibes that can teach them to handle their emotions bravely. After all though Schizophrenia and Poverty, Crime and Violence are related to each other, the extent and its effects is too minute to be given much significance. It is time that we understand that schizophrenia and violence are two ideas that do not really need to be clubbed together, since they barely can have much of an impact, if it is present in the schizophrenic mind at all.
Schizophrenia and anti psychotic drugs
Investigations have been recently made to understand how the vast psychotic pharmaceutical industry of America is endangering the public by talking about diseases that do not even exist, simply in order to push the sales of the drugs further.
A number of cover ups and lies were exposed during investigations, even corrupting the basic drug review process, also revealing the high risk of the general public against frequently named drugs like Paxul, Prozac, Zyprexa and Zoloft. Not only can be hazardous, but they can also have highly dangerous side effects.
What makes the matter even worse is the fact that these pharmaceutical companies are extremely powerful and have the money and tactics to fire respected researchers and scientists who have the audacity to point out all such hazards like premature death and suicidal risks that these drugs are capable of causing. In other words, they use aggressive tactics in order to promote sales without letting the public become aware.
In fact if one carefully dwells into the matter, one would understand that many of the well known antipsychotic drugs that have been so well appreciated by the media and many others are actually hardly much of a help in treating depression and mental problems. Also, it would not be wrong to state that these drugs are capable of inducing other forms of mental illness too by changing the brain chemistry. This can result in increasing the suicidal tendencies, psychotic episodes, metabolic diseases, pancreatic failure, etc.
Even the investigators who truly believed in the idea that the anti psychotic drugs were helping in improving the schizophrenia patients’ conditions, have now started to understand the other side of the picture. Not only were most of the stories of progress were fraudulent, according to the conclusions made these drugs were even depressing the situation further for patients, including those suffering from diseases as serious as schizophrenia.
How these drugs work was explained in clearer terms. The initial development and recovery is made possible in most of the cases by transforming the brain in such a way that the other higher functions of the mind get damaged. The rescue is done just at the surface level while the rest of the situation is detrimental.
The very first generation of these anti psychotic drugs showed the same features. They helped deal with the disease, but only by shutting down the other brain functions of the higher level. It is also known that when drugs like Haldol and Thorazine were initially introduced, the doctors themselves confirmed that their effects were equivalent to that of chemical lobotomy.
Unfortunately many people continue to believe the stories published by the drug companies of the ‘great benefits’ and ‘progress’ of their medicines, when the fact is that these drugs are causing more trouble in the troubled minds than ever before. While the drug companies continue to get rich, the buyers go blindly following their prescriptions ruining their health even further. The result: early death and lots of other side effects, that leaves the patients suffering silently, while the other party makes big bucks.
Schizophrenia and genes
According to the latest research carried out by a team of scientists from Australia, U.S and France, the age old belief that genes could carry schizophrenia, just might not be true. This could confirm the views of a number of researches who have doubted the genetic-schizophrenia connection since a long time, while also breaking the belief of many others who had believed that genes are deeply linked to this disease.
Though experts had been arguing over this matter since a long time, nobody every really could prove that if the genes and schizophrenia were actually connected or not. Though the common theories, based of simple logics suggested that there should be some deep link between schizophrenia and the genes that might get affected by it, the new researches are proving the fact to be far from true.
According to the scientists who have been conducting researches after researches on this issue, there may not be such thing as the schizophrenia gene. For over twenty five years they had been testing and conducting all kinds of experiments to discover that one gene that could be the cause of the trouble, but the gene, if present at all, stays evasive from the eyes of all the experts and researchers. The reason owing to which a vast population of the European continent continues to suffer from schizophrenia, generation after generation, thus might not be their genetic make up after all.
For many who had strongly believed that schizophrenia could be having a hereditary connection, this new theory might be somewhat difficult to accept. However, who can possibly deny the fact that in spite of all technology and ideas used till date, not a single research was able to establish a clear link and the exact gene that could cause the disease of schizophrenia from one generation to the other.
In the latest research, the scientists got down to examining the much talked about and believed in link between SNP’s and schizophrenia. Though SNP’s, that is a minor variation that occurs in the DNA had always appeared to the answer to the mystery surrounding schizophrenia and the gene connection with it, the researches have clearly failed to establish any link between the two. SNP’ according to them could be regarded as just another DNA variation that occurs in individuals, without holding it in anyway responsible for schizophrenia symptoms that a schizophrenic patient seems to experience because of his or her disease.
Thus, according to the conclusion can be made at least as of now, it would not be wrong to say that schizophrenia is one mental illness that has no connection with the genetic make up of the patient. Though the real cause of the disease remains doubtful and almost unknown, and is yet remaining to be discovered and understood by the ever progressing science and technology, it seems almost true now, after years of study, programs and tests that there is no need to worry about genes having any effect on schizophrenia.
Schizophrenia and Suicide
Suicide in schizophrenia and conditions to watch out for
Among schizophrenia patients, suicidal tendencies are quite common. Therefore, if the patient seems to be talking about suicide or has made any sort of an attempt in doing so, help form a professional should be sorted immediately. Among schizophrenia patients, suicide is more frequent than the average tendency to commit suicide, especially among the generation of young males. Sadly enough, schizophrenia and suicide are not easy predicted.
With a 10% suicide schizophrenia rate, and a 40% attempted suicide rate, for schizophrenia patients, it is quite obvious that the patients should be carefully handled and monitored while they are suffering the symptoms. What is extremely shocking though is that only 2% of these suicides take place when the patient begins to hear his/her own voices. People who have a faint idea about their disease or are under the pressure of performing well are at a greater risk.
Generally suicides take place when the patient is experiencing the upswing order. This is the time when the symptoms have just subsided, or have almost subsided, and the patient is having a cleared view of self and the situation around. This is when they might begin to feel helpless and start contemplating suicide. Thus when a patient just gets discharged form the hospital, the family members and the doctors must make a proper care plan for the patient, to help them avoid feeling that way.
Generally the patients do not tend to discuss their paranoid schizophrenia suicide thoughts with others. A schizophrenic patient might be able to hide it well enough from the doctors and close family members too. However, in case they do share their feeling in the remotest of way, it should be taken up very seriously. Mentioning suicide by the patient only means that somewhere deep inside they are actually seeking your help. It is very important that the issue is discussed directly with a lot of tact with the patient. Other important conditions to watch out for are, if the patient seems to be silent collecting pills, or weapons of self destruction etc, that could prompt them to suicide of they start feeling the urge to.
Often the patients contemplating suicide also tend to start writing dark poems, or thinking and talking about death, etc. It is also sometimes dangerous if they, after a particularly severe round of depression suddenly begin to act jovial without any valid reason. They could be just masking their true feelings.
Suicides are often prompted by what is known as ‘copy ct effect’. The patient hears about a suicide and begins to feel motivated to do the same. The most high level risk patients are those who do not get to have much interaction with their family or close ones. It is thus very important to keep in regular touch with them, keep encouraging them and letting the share their feelings as much as possible. Giving them positive hopes by talking about the fast developing science and technology that should be soon available for handling the disease better is a good idea.
Smoking and schizophrenia
Smoking and schizophrenia: the good and the bad side of it
It has been again and again proved that schizophrenic patients are more prone to developing the habit of smoking than the others. Even among the psychiatric population, those with schizophrenia have been always known to smoke the most. The rate of smoking has been accounted at about 75% to 80%, as according to various studies conducted on this issue. Smoking is also highly prevalent among patients of depression and the bipolar disorder that are other psychiatric diseases, affecting the moods and the attitude as well as the thinking pattern of the patients.
Many a times in the past, when the question of this connection between nicotine and schizophrenia was raised, it was concluded that schizophrenia patients tend to smoke more than the others because it could help in reducing the problem of stiffness in the muscle movements that is known to be a common side effect when one is on the older form of anti-psychotic medications. However, the more recent researches have thrown light to some other views too. According to the researchers, nicotine can actually correct the genetic defects found in schizophrenic patients. This defect is nothing but the abnormality that impairs their capacity to shut out off their minds and focus stimuli in the surrounding environment that is not relevant enough. For instance, any sound or sight that does not hold much importance generally goes unnoticed by the normal people. But those with schizophrenia find themselves unable to do so. In fact, on the other hand they begin to feel agitated and quite overwhelmed too by even the tiniest of things that surrounds them.
As a part of their therapies, the schizophrenic patients are made to sit down in quiet rooms where they do not get agitated by sound or sights. Therefore, it is obvious that when smoking can actually cure this sort of a nicotine defect, it can be regarded as quite beneficial in way for the patient’s mental peace. Nevertheless, the fact remains that the antipsychotic drugs can do the same job for bringing relief to the patients. Therefore, in many of the cases, it has even been observed that the patients tend to quit their smoking habits once they are put through the treatment procedure. While the drugs work their way through the brain dealing with the nicotine deficit problem, the patients are kept in smoke free wards, where they can easily get rid of their addictions.
It is therefore a much wiser decision to take the correct medications when one is suffering from schizophrenia rather than depending on smoking habits. After all, no body can deny the fact that smoking in the end of the day does a lot more harm to the health than good. For instance tobacco can not only have adverse effects on lungs when smoked, it can also call for diseases like cancer, cataracts, strokes, heart diseases, and even osteoporosis, which in turn effects the smoker’s life span quite significantly.
Famous People Diagnosed with Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a severe and a chronic disease of brain, with symptoms that can be tough to handle. Some famous personalities, who have been through this disease, are discussed here.
Schizophrenia is basically a mental problem that is marked by abnormal expressions and perceptions of the reality, which is characterized by unusual delusions, hallucinations, and even a problem is speech and thoughts. The brain neurons, the environment the patient has been subjected to, the physiological forces that are prevalent and genetics have been rooted as the most prone causes of schizophrenia. They suffer from anxiety and depression. Suicidal tendencies and poor health reduce their average life span. Each individual is diagnosed on an individual pattern. Some famous personalities who have had schizophrenia are:
Famous people diagnosed with schizophrenia
John Nash
He was a mathematician from America who had successfully worked in game theory, differential geometry etc. His first schizophrenia symptoms occurred during his college, and after a year the disease was diagnosed. However, in spite of this john did not give up hope and continued with his studies, ultimately emerging as a Noble Prize winner. He even has a movie based on himself, A Beautiful Mind’.
John Nash born in West Virginia in the year 1929 went on to become a world famous mathematician. John Nash graduated from graduate school in Princeton where he showed flashes of his brilliance. Some of his contributions in mathematics are in game theory, partial differential equations, differential geometry etc and all these have a role in our day-to-day life in complex means. John Nash revolutionised the field of economics with his doctoral thesis, “Nash Equilibrium.” In the year 1994, John Nash got the coveted Nobel Prize for his contribution in Economics. He got the Von Neumann Prize and various other awards during his glittering career as mathematician and economist. However, in the life of John Nash there was a big struggle.
You may wonder what the relation between John Nash and Schizophrenia is! Schizophrenia can be termed as a disorder of brain, which affects young people in the age group between 17 and 28. The movie “A Beautiful Mind” throws light on the John Nash Schizophrenia phenomena. Movie takes viewers through the struggle as well as re emergence of a mathematician from paranoid schizophrenia. “A beautiful Mind” is the cinematic version of the john Nash’s biography written by Sylvia Nasar in the same name.
John Nash’s Schizophrenia recover was not a pretty one. It took three decades for John Nash to recover from schizophrenia with the help of antipsychotic drugs. However, it threw lot of questions regarding the effectiveness of antipsychotic drugs and its efficiency in long-term recovery process. Not just John Nash, there is a long list of famous people who suffered from schizophrenia which includes Meera PopKin, Andy Goram, Bob Mosley, Lionel Aldridge and many more.
John Nash’s wife admitted him to McLean Hospital in 1959 after prolonged erratic behaviour and fear about some organisation chasing him. There the doctors’ diagnosed John Nash paranoid schizophrenia as well as clinical depression. After his release, he tried to obtain political asylum in East Germany as well as France. French police deported him back to USA after arrest as per the USA government’s request.
He after getting admission at a hospital in New Jersey in the year 1961 started undergoing insulin shock therapy as well as antipsychotic medications. For around nine years he continued treatment in various hospitals and after 1970, he refused to visit any hospital and never took medication. John Nash believed that antipsychotics drugs are not that effective and people do not consider the ill effects that the mentally ill patients have to suffer due to it. As per his words, Nash made a gradual recovery from schizophrenia over the due course of time.
There is a fact to be looked upon, a good number of schizophrenia patients in developing countries recovered from it. While schizophrenia patients in USA as well as other developed countries remains chronically ill. Studies also point out that those who gave up antipsychotic drugs gradually recovered from schizophrenia. Therefore, it is obvious to think whether antipsychotic drugs helped John Nash in any manner in his recovery! John Nash’s recovery from this chronic illness showed that living life in a simple manner is more effective than drugs.
William Chester (Minor)
He was a famous surgeon, also credited for making significant Oxford dictionary contributions. He even served in the Union Army for a few years. When he started showing Schizophrenia symptoms, his condition often got bad to the limit of requiring an admission to the Washington DC mental asylum. He even once shot a man under one of his psychotic episodes that made him believe. However he continued to contribute to the Oxford Dictionary, while his condition went from bad to worse and finally passed away soon after being diagnosed with the disease.
Tom Harrell
He is a famous trumpeter and a composer. He ventured into music at a very young age, and has a number of musical achievements up his sleeves. However, he is also known as one of the most prominent figures on the list of famous people who have schizophrenia. In fact he happens to be one of those famous people with paranoid schizophrenia who even suffered grave side effects of the medications, such as weight gain, muscle spasms, etc. however, in spite of all the complications, he remains a great and successful musician, who enchants the world with his amazing performances.
Eduard Einstein
Son of Albert Einstein, he was extremely intelligent and good with music. He dreamt of becoming a psychoanalyst. However, as fate had it, he got diagnosed with schizophrenia, and had to be out under severe medical treatment for his state was grave. He ended up passing when he was 55, in a asylum. Owing to the fact that he was a well known figure, his disease brought about a lot of awareness to people all over the world.
Some other famous people who had schizophrenia were Roger Kynard Erickson, Picasso, Lionel Aldridgem etc. apart from their disease, another thing that al these famous people with schizophrenia had in common was their strength and determination to fight the disease.