Schizophrenia and most of the psychotic disorders form the critical structure of psychopathology, often connected with an adverse philosophical outcome on the person’s learning, professional, and social undertaking. Such ailments mostly appear during crucial stages of development, especially from childhood to adulthood. It is a transition when people evolve from childhood to adulthood (Tienari et al., 2004). The disorder has various prevalent characteristics, and it may result in hallucinations, delusions, and tremendously reasoning and character that prejudice daily practices of an individual. People with the disease need long-term treatment (Hillis et al., 2015).
Additionally, research indicates that early treatment can be fundamental in getting the symptoms and implementing different strategies to control the disease before solemn impediments, thus improving the enduring outlook
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The causes of schizophrenia are still uncertain. Some hypothesis indicates that genetics (hereditary), biology (an anomaly in the structure of the brain) and probable viral disease and immune disorders cause the disease. In genetics, it is stipulated that the disease tends to run in a particular family and a person inherits an inclination to develop the illness. Mostly, the condition may appear when the body undergoes the hormonal and the physical changes. For instance, the most probable stage for someone to get the disease is during puberty stage (Tienari et al., 2004). At this stage, many people suffer many stressful situations as they try to adjust to the body changes. Thus they have a high possibility of getting the disease.
It is also believed that biology and viral infections and immune disorders also cause the disease. In chemistry, scientists believe that individuals that have schizophrenia exhibit imbalance of the brain chemicals or neurotransmitters such as dopamine, glutamate, and serotonin (Fenton et al., 1997). The neurotransmitters permit the nerve cells of the brain to propel signals to one another. The disparity of these chemicals has significance on the way an individual’s mind responds to stimuli. The scenario explicates why a person with schizophrenia may be besieged by sensory information such as loud music or intense lights that some people within the area can still handle (Tienari et al., 2004). The predicament in dispensation sounds, sights, scent, and flavors can cause an illusion. Also, there are other researches which indicate that issues with the growth of connections and trails in the brain structure when still in the womb and after sometimes it may cause schizophrenia.
Schizophrenia may also be activated by environmental factors such as viral disease or resistant disarray. For example, kids whose parents get the flu in their pregnancies and they have a high prospect in contacting the disease later in their lifetime. There are also other people who usually get hospitalized many times due to harsh infection, and they also have high chances of getting the disease (Speyer et al., 2016). It is, therefore, critical that when such people exhibit some infections, they should contact their psychiatrist to treat the infection at early stages before it affects them in their lives. Also, one should avoid viral infections or immune disorders that cause the disease and such strategy will reduce the prevalence of the disease.
There are also stipulations that people that have identical twins have a fifty percent probability of contacting the disease. However, there are many people with schizophrenia, and they do not have any history in their families to indicate that they inherited the disease (Arendt et al., 2005). Scientists believe that in such situations, the genes may have changed and made the case more likely to cause the disease. For instance, many genes have a high responsibility in getting the illness, and any change in the gene may cause it. It is typically a few and small changes that accumulate and create the top threat of getting the disease (Tienari et al., 2004). Even doctors do not have a clear understanding of the changes that lead to schizophrenia.
Genetic transformation can interrelate with things in an environment to increase the possibility of the disease. There are certain viral infections that someone can get exposed to at early stages especially before they are born and such can lead to understanding the disease (Speyer et al., 2016). Also, the possibility increases especially when someone did not get proper nutrition while a person is pregnant, and an adequate diet should be observed primarily during the first six months of the pregnancy. All the stipulations are theories, and no one has proven them.
Research also indicates that there are various mind-altering medicines known as psychoactive or psychotropic medicine like methamphetamine or LSD and they increase the possibility of contacting schizophrenia. Also, the use of bhang has a high risk of contracting the disease (Speyer et al., 2016). People that start using these drugs at early stages have high chances of getting the disease, and they usually experience symptoms like hallucinations, delusions, and inapt emotions, and they have a lot of problems in thinking well.
Through the research to establish the possible cause of schizophrenia, scientists look for probable differences in the brain structure and the function in individuals that have the disease and the ones that do not have (Fenton et al., 1997). People with the illness, they realized that spaces in the brain known as ventricles were more abundant and most parts of the brain that deal with the memory called the medial temporal lobes were smaller as compared to people that did not have the disease (Tienari et al., 2004). Also, fewer connections were connecting the brain cells for people that had schizophrenia.
There are different symptoms of schizophrenia, and they engross cognition, behavior or emotions. They may differ in different people, but they include hallucinations, delusions, and such people exhibit reduced ability to operate (Arendt et al., 2005). Illusions being the major one are beliefs and not realities. For instance, a person believes that he or she is being harassed or harmed and there is various gesticulation or comments directed to the person (Speyer et al., 2016). Also, a person experiences exceptional capabilities or reputation and feels that another person is in love with him or her. The delusions involve strange fantasy that makes many people over think about their lives.
The delusion of persecution, reference, grandeur, and control are the dominant type of illusion and a symptom of the schizophrenia. It is a belief that other people are usually vague and they are just after you. The persecutory delusions frequently engross bizarre thoughts and beliefs (Fenton et al., 1997). A person may believe that a particular group of people wants to poison him or her with radioactive particles distributed through tap water. A delusion of reference is an impartial ecological occasion stipulated to have a particular and private meaning. A person may believe that a presenter on a TV is sending a note just meant for you. A delusion of grandeur is a belief that one is a renowned person and a critical person in society. Also, the illusion may show a person that he or she can fly (Tienari et al., 2004). The delusion of control is a belief that someone controls your thoughts outside all alien forces, and any person with an illusion of power believe that his or her ideas get broadcasted to others or there is a person planting ideas on your head.
Hallucination is another example of schizophrenia symptoms. They are sounds, or other feeling exhibited as real when they are only in the mind of a person. They may involve the five senses, auditory hallucinations whereby a person hears voices or other sounds is the prevalent type of schizophrenia that occurs when a person misinterprets the private talk and believes that it comes from the external sources. Schizophrenic hallucinations are typically signed to the people that experience them (Arendt et al., 2005). Most of the times, the voices are for the people that a person knows and they are typically offensive or obnoxious (Fenton et al., 1997). Visual hallucinations are prevalent among many people, and all illusions are dangerous when a person is alone.
Disorganized speech is another symptom of schizophrenia. It can make a person have problems concentrating and sustaining a train of contemplation, outwardly marking itself in the way that a person speaks. One may respond to questions with distinct answers. Also, a person may start a sentence with a specific idea, and the same person be speak disjointedly or irrational things that do not make any sense (Tienari et al., 2004). The significant signs of disorganized speech include loose associations where a person changes the connection between topics that he or she addresses. Also, a person has neologisms, and he or she makes words or phrases that make meaning to him or her only. There is also preservation where one repeats words and statements are repeating the same thing and even clang where one uses meaningless words.
Disorganized behavior is another symptom of schizophrenia. It interferes with the objective-related undertakings and impairs a person’s capability to take care of their bodies, work and interact with other people (Hillis et al., 2015). The behavior usually appears due to a decline in the overall daily undertaking of an individual, impulsive or unsuitable emotional responses character that looks strange and does not have any significance and lack of any embarrassment and desire control.
There are also negative symptoms that indicate the absence of healthy behaviors. They refer to the nonexistence of the usual character exhibited in healthy people such as lack of emotional expression, and they mean impassive face that involves flat voice and control facial expressions. Also, there is a lack of interest or enthusiasm, and it results in lack of motivation and self-care (Arendt et al., 2005). One may also lack interest in the world and may not know any environmental or social changes occurring and one may also have speech problems and abnormalities.
The most effective strategy to treat schizophrenia is through various medication, therapy, lifestyle change, and social support. The disease requires long-term treatment. Even when a person has ever suffered the illness and still feels better, he or she needs long-term treatment to prevent new episodes of the disorder (Hillis et al., 2015). Therefore, medication of schizophrenia works by minimizing the psychotic symptoms like hallucinations, delusions, paranoia and chaotic reasoning. Therapy is also critical in that it can help a person cope up with life and increase stress management, relationship issues and enhance communication
Self-help is also an important strategy to treat schizophrenia. In most instances, medication and therapy may take time, but there are still approaches that can help an individual increase the self-esteem to have more hope in life. For instance, seeking social support helps such as connecting face to face with friends or families staying connected in work or educational activities. Also, managing stress is a critical strategy. High levels of anxiety trigger schizophrenia episodes by raising the production of hormone cortisol (Tienari et al., 2004). Regular exercises, getting plenty of sleep and avoiding drugs such as alcohol nicotine and eating regular nutritious meals also reduce the probability of the disorder.
In general, schizophrenia is a distinctive disorder that affects the way a person behaves reasons and sees the world. Apart from the accomplishment of treating full-blown psychosis, there are no capable treatments for the disease. However, most people get better over the illness over time. The options to treat the disease involve various options such as managing stress, avoiding misuse of drugs and interacting with other people such as family members positively. The disorder is always episodic such that the time of reduction is perfect when someone implements individual strategies to curb the disease.
References
Arendt, M., Rosenberg, R., Foldager, L., Perto, G., & Munk-Jørgensen, P. (2005). Cannabis-induced psychosis and subsequent schizophrenia-spectrum disorders: follow-up study of 535 incident cases. The British journal of psychiatry , 187 (6), 510-515.
Fenton, W. S., McGlashan, T. H., Victor, B. J., & Blyler, C. R. (1997). Symptoms, subtype, and suicidality in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. American journal of psychiatry , 154 (2), 199-204.
Hillis, J. D., Leonhardt, B. L., Vohs, J. L., Buck, K. D., Salvatore, G., Popolo, R., ... & Lysaker, P. H. (2015). Metacognitive reflective and insight therapy for people in early phase of a schizophrenia spectrum disorder. Journal of Clinical Psychology , 71 (2), 125-135.
Speyer, H., Christian Brix Nørgaard, H., Birk, M., Karlsen, M., Storch Jakobsen, A., Pedersen, K., ... & Krogh, J. (2016). The CHANGE trial: no superiority of lifestyle coaching plus care coordination plus treatment as usual compared to treatment as usual alone in reducing risk of cardiovascular disease in adults with schizophrenia spectrum disorders and abdominal obesity. World Psychiatry , 15 (2), 155-165.
Tienari, P., Wynne, L. C., Sorri, A., Lahti, I., Läksy, K., Moring, J. & Wahlberg, K. E. (2004). Genotype–environment interaction in schizophrenia-spectrum disorder: long-term follow-up study of Finnish adoptees. The British Journal of Psychiatry , 184 (3), 216-222.
