Understanding Schizophrenia
“Schizophrenia may affect how we perceive reality, but it cannot diminish the power of our imagination and the strength of our spirit.” ― Dr. Rameez Shaikh.
What Is Schizophrenia?
Schizophrenia doesn’t discriminate. Anyone can be diagnosed with it, whether you’re a teacher, artist, or a leader in your field. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that approximately 1 in 300 people worldwide are diagnosed with it.
Defining schizophrenia should include what it is not. Schizophrenia is not a split personality or connected to bipolar disorder. And it’s a myth that people with schizophrenia are violent.
Schizophrenia is a severe, chronic mental illness that affects your thoughts, behavior, and feelings. Most people with schizophrenia find it challenging to recognize reality, think logically, and behave correctly in social situations. You may feel detached from what’s happening around you, leaving you feeling lost and/or distressed. Family members and friends may be confused and wonder if you’re okay.
You will have the common symptoms of schizophrenia, which Ocean View can treat with the latest in psychiatric treatments.
Additionally, schizophrenia is the root cause of psychosis. Psychosis is a mental health disorder where you lose your sense of reality. The loss of reality is grouped into two types of symptoms: positive and negative.
Schizophrenia can affect your family, personal, social, educational, and professional life. It can decrease your quality of life. However, once diagnosed, it can be treated with medication. Ocean View Psychiatric Health Facility has the tools to help you.
What Is the Age of Onset for Schizophrenia?
There isn’t one test that can diagnose schizophrenia. Still, a healthcare provider, like a trained mental health clinician or psychiatrist, can make a diagnosis after tracking your symptoms for a few months to rule out illnesses like a brain tumor, medical issues, or a mental health disorder like bipolar disorder.
The majority of people diagnosed with schizophrenia experienced the first symptoms as young adults between the ages of 25 and 27. There is little difference in the age of onset between women and men. And children can be diagnosed with schizophrenia as young as 9 years old.
Often, a loved one or those close to you notice the symptoms before you do. The earlier schizophrenia is diagnosed, the better the prognosis is.
Is Schizophrenia Genetic?
Mental health experts and researchers have found that schizophrenia is genetic. Your family’s mental health history can determine whether or not you have a higher risk than others of being diagnosed with schizophrenia. However, it’s not always passed from one generation to another.
Furthermore, while the role of genetics is a key reason for a diagnosis, there are other causes, such as:
- Environment: Where you live and what you’re exposed to can increase the risk of developing schizophrenia. Being exposed to stress, viruses, and poverty, along with trauma, can influence your risk.
- Brain structure: Changes in your brain’s function and structure increase the risk of abnormal interactions between neurotransmitters (dopamine and glutamate).
- Substance use: Substance use, especially when you’re a teen or young adult, potentially increases the risk of developing schizophrenia. Several studies have linked marijuana with an increased risk of psychotic events and ongoing psychotic incidents.
- Pregnancy: Severe complications, like malnutrition or oxygen deprivation, during pregnancy can increase the risk of the child developing schizophrenia.
Stages of Schizophrenia
There are three schizophrenia phases: prodromal, active, and residual. These phases of schizophrenia vary in severity and duration from one person to the next.
Prodromal Stage
The prodromal phase of schizophrenia is when you experience early symptoms, but before you have your first episode of psychosis. This phase may go undetected for months or years before your first psychotic episode.
What Does Schizophrenia in the Prodromal Phase Look Like?
You may not notice the symptoms of schizophrenia in the prodromal stage because they can be similar to other mental health conditions like depression or bipolar disorder.
What Do Negative Symptoms Mean?
Negative symptoms are the loss of emotions or behaviors you would typically have. For example, you may have a decrease in interest in social interactions.
How Can You Identify the Early Signs of Schizophrenia?
Identifying the early stages of schizophrenia can be challenging. You may not show any symptoms or recognize the warning signs before psychosis (prodromal stage), but some people have subtle changes months or years before it’s in the active phase.
Common Signs Seen During the Prodromal Stage
The decrease or absence of normal behavior or function indicates the prodromal phase. Some examples of the common psychotic symptoms of the prodromal phase include:
- Emotionless speech or a monotone voice
- Hallucinations
- Delusions
- Lack of motivation
- Suspicion or unease with people
- A decrease in personal hygiene, such as not showering for days
- Social withdrawal, including isolating yourself from others
- Inappropriate emotions (you may laugh at a sad event like a funeral or feel numb when a loved one dies)
- Difficulty concentrating
These symptoms can also be called catatonic.
The symptoms of psychosis in children can have many of the same symptoms as adults, but are more likely to hear voices and less likely to have thought issues or delusions. However, the prodromal symptoms of schizophrenia in teens and young adults are often similar.
Active Stage
The active stage of schizophrenia occurs as your psychiatric disorder progresses.
What Is the Active Stage of Schizophrenia?
When you’re in the active phase (acute phase) of schizophrenia, you experience psychotic symptoms.
What Are Common Symptoms of the Active Stage?
You can experience negative symptoms of schizophrenia during the active stage. However, during the active phase of schizophrenia, experiencing positive symptoms is more likely. Positive symptoms are new or added thoughts or behaviors. The symptoms that occur the most include:
- Hallucinations: Seeing, hearing, sensing things that aren’t there
- Disorganization: Disorganized speech, behaviors, or thoughts
- Delusions: You believe things are true, like being spied on. Alternatively, you may have worries or fears that are not directly related to what is happening in your life or environment. You can think you’re powerful, important, or famous (actor, musician, or superhero).
What Does “Psychotic Break” Mean?
The term psychotic break refers to the start of psychosis. Your mind is overwhelmed with delusions and/or hallucinations. These symptoms make it challenging for you to know what is real. However, your first episode of psychosis isn’t linked to one traumatic moment.
Residual Schizophrenia
Residual schizophrenia is the third stage of schizophrenia. This phase is most like the prodromal phase.
What Is the Residual Stage of Schizophrenia?
The residual phase is when you have gone through the active phase of schizophrenia and are no longer experiencing hallucinations or delusions. You may, however, still experience milder, residual symptoms, such as difficulty concentrating or feeling isolated. The residual stage occurs when you’re under psychiatric care and taking antipsychotic medications.
What Do Positive Symptoms Mean?
Positive symptoms of schizophrenia are symptoms that are new or added to your usual thoughts and behaviors. They are commonly associated with the active phase of schizophrenia.
What Symptoms Are Common in the Residual Phase?
During the residual phase of schizophrenia, you will experience little to no positive symptoms. Instead, you will have mild negative symptoms. These symptoms are the same as those you encounter in the prodromal stage. For example, you can still have difficulty concentrating, anxiety, or withdraw from social interactions in your daily life.
The Role of Stages of Diagnosis
The stage at which you’re diagnosed with schizophrenia can determine how your schizophrenia is managed. Early diagnosis increases your chances of better managing your symptoms.
Why Is Early Diagnosis of Schizophrenia Important?
An early diagnosis of schizophrenia boosts your chances of managing it, decreasing psychotic episodes, and recovering. Your care during your first psychotic episode makes a difference. Ocean View Psychiatric Health Facility provides supportive, compassionate care to guide you through your psychiatric stabilization. Our psychiatrists, psychologists, clinicians, and medical professionals are committed to your well-being.
When you begin your stabilization journey with us, you will develop a treatment plan based on the treatment options that reflect your needs. You will also receive antipsychotic medication that will decrease your symptoms. Early-stage care can reduce the need for hospitalization and require less time to manage your symptoms.
How Is the Stages Model Used for Diagnosis?
Complex mental disorders like schizophrenia are best defined in stages. The stages will depict a particular point in the progression of the illness and determine the appropriate care needed for that stage. Treatment for schizophrenia is different in each stage. Which means the results from treatment are distinct.
Optimal treatment for schizophrenia needs to consider the various stages of the disorder. Once the stage is identified, your doctor can decide on treatment options. At Ocean View Psychiatric Hospital, our highly trained psychiatric staff recognizes your unique needs and ensures we can meet you where you are for optimal stabilization.
How Long Does it Take to Diagnose Schizophrenia?
Diagnosing schizophrenia is challenging. The negative symptoms in the prodromal stage can be similar to other illnesses. Doctors carefully monitor your behaviors, speech, and thoughts over time to track the progression of the symptoms and rule out any other illness. Once the symptoms are clear-cut, symptoms of psychosis occur, and other diseases are ruled out, a diagnosis can be made.
When you come to Ocean View for acute psychiatric stabilization, our doctor will do a thorough medical exam. You will also be asked about your medical, family, and psychiatric history. You may be asked to talk about distressing perceptions and experiences. Other questions include concerns about achieving goals because of new cognition, motivation, and safety challenges.
Helping a Loved One With Schizophrenia
When you think a loved one has schizophrenia, you may not be sure how to tell if they do, help them, or take care of your well-being. At Ocean View, we help you find healthy ways to communicate and repair relationships.
How Can I Tell If My Loved One Has Schizophrenia?
The early-stage symptoms of schizophrenia are often overlooked because they can be mistaken for other mental health disorders. Sometimes, you may think the symptoms, like poor hygiene, lack of sleep, or lack of interest in activities, are connected to being a teen or young adult. Maybe you think your loved one is using substances or has attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). There are many reasons why it’s hard to tell if your loved one has schizophrenia.
However, when your loved one starts talking about seeing or hearing that you and others can’t or believe people are out to get them, you should have your loved one see a psychiatrist or doctor.
How Can I Help a Loved One With Schizophrenia?
Helping a loved one with schizophrenia is possible. We understand that families are an essential part of the stabilization journey. Ocean View’s treatment programs include assisting families to understand schizophrenia. Other ways to help your loved one include:
- Listening and validating what they share with you. Think about how you would feel if someone listened to you after no one believed what you were saying.
- Ask them how you can help. You can ask if they need help with laundry, shopping, or cleaning the house.
- Keep in contact with them. Even if your loved one isolates themself from you, stay connected.
How Can I Cope If My Loved One Has Schizophrenia?
When a loved one is diagnosed with schizophrenia, you may take on more responsibility or have feelings of guilt and confusion. You can reach out to others to find the care you need. Some ways to cope include:
- Finding a support group
- Making time to exercise
- Eating healthy meals
Take time to immerse yourself in activities like yoga, meditation, or the arts to care for yourself.
Treatment for Schizophrenia
Medication Treatment for Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is often treated with a combination of antipsychotic medication and psychotherapy. The medicines help manage symptoms like delusions and hallucinations.
There are two categories of medications. One is conventional and the other is atypical. Conventional antipsychotic medications have been used for several years, but have numerous side effects. Atypical antipsychotics are newer and have a lower risk of severe side effects.
How Does Support From Loved Ones Help?
When you support your loved one’s treatment plan, you help them maintain their well-being. Your support and encouragement provide the motivation they may need to continue taking their medication.
Does Exercise Help Reduce Symptoms of Schizophrenia?
Exercise does help reduce the symptoms of schizophrenia. A study found that aerobic exercise can improve brain functioning.
FAQs
How quickly does schizophrenia progress?
Schizophrenia can take months or years for it to progress from the prodromal (early stage) to the active stage. You may not recognize the symptoms during the prodromal stage because they can be subtle or similar to other illnesses, mental health disorders, or common age-related behaviors.
What is the Bleuler syndrome?
Manfred Bleuler conducted a study that looked at the long-term progression of schizophrenia. He found, like Eugen Bleuler, the therapist who is responsible for the name schizophrenia and how it is viewed, that a diagnosis of schizophrenia is focused more on the entire syndrome (stages) of schizophrenia rather than the individual parts.
What do schizophrenic voices sound like?
Schizophrenic voices can sound like different things to people. Some may hear murmurs, something scratching, beeps, a fire, a girl screaming for help, or loud banging. Those who hear people talking say the voices are often mean and say negative things to them.
Do people diagnosed with schizophrenia feel love?
The negative symptoms of schizophrenia can affect your relationship. You should expect some side effects from the medication your loved one is taking. Discuss ways to manage the side effects with your loved one’s healthcare team. Also, consider going to family and/or relationship therapy.
Can you fully recover from schizophrenia?
You can’t fully recover from schizophrenia. However, your symptoms can be managed with psychotherapy and antipsychotic medication.
Schizophrenia is a complex, chronic mental health disorder that is treatable. Often, it goes undiagnosed until psychosis occurs in the active stage. This is because the early warning signs of schizophrenia are subtle and can be mistaken for an illness or another mental health disorder. Schizophrenia is also difficult to diagnose. Doctors will monitor your symptoms for months. Often, a diagnosis isn’t made until after the first psychotic episode occurs. At Ocean View Psychiatric Health Facility, we treat you with compassion and respect while you’re receiving psychiatric stabilization treatment. While you will never fully recover from schizophrenia, with antipsychotic medication, you can manage the symptoms. To learn more, contact us at (844) 562-1212 or outreach@ovphf.com.