Schizophrenia
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The appearance of schizophrenia is partly hereditary. Previously people said that schizophrenia was caused by the education process, but people have come back from this thought.
High vulnerability for stress plays an important role in the origin of schizophrenia. Besides stressful situations also other influences from the environment are important. Which influences is not exactly known, but people think that problems during pregnancy or around the time of birth may play a role.
It is also known that there is a disorder in a particular chemical material in the brain responsible for the processing of information.
Symptoms
To recognize schizophrenia is not always easy. Often you cannot see it from the outside and it can take a while before the symptoms become noticeable. People who suffer from the disease cannot or do not want to express what their problems are. There are certain signals that can point to schizophrenia. Schizophrenia could exist if someone:
- is frightened or confused in a way others cannot understand;
- does not succeed to perform at work, in his study or hobby in a way to be expected;
- talks in a silly way, sometimes with new made up words;
- claims to hear voices or talks to imaginary people;
- tells stories about plots or secret organizations in which friends and relatives can take part;
- walks or moves in a weird manner in such a way that others feel uncomfortable;
- scares or irritates people by the way he neglects himself;
- has unpredictable explosions of rage;
- stays in bed all day, but goes around the house at night;
- threatens to hurt himself;
- does not have any friends or at the best short or superficial contacts;
- claims to be someone else;
- says that others pull thoughts out of his head or alternatively put them in.
Treatment
Schizophrenia cannot be cured yet, but in most cases it can be treated. Medication plays a big role in the treatment. The medicine most prescribed are anti-psychotics and an anti-parkinson medicine. The latter is used to diminish the side-effects of the anti-psychotics. Recently a new generation of medicine has become available, which gives excellent results for some patients.
Apart from medication, good education and support for the patient and family are important. Furthermore the patient should get help coping with society.
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