Schizophrenia

 I personally know a schizophrenic or two and I am boldly telling you, it is the worse!. 

Though these individuals physically reside in our physical world, their minds are anywhere but. They, at certain intervals, seem to exist in a world of hallucination, an altered universe where they see a lot of  scenarios their minds have made up, which are gravely different from what is obtainable in real life.

Swipe to read up more facts on Schizophrenia, it’s symptoms, causes and treatments (if any).

-Schizophrenia is a serious and long-term mental illness that interferes with a person’s ability to think clearly, manage emotions, make decisions and relate to others.

-When the disease is in full swing and symptoms are severe, the person with schizophrenia can’t tell when certain ideas and perceptions they have are real or not. This happens less often as they get older.

 FACTS ABOUT SCHIZOPHRENIA 

-There are different types of schizophrenia.

-You may experience ‘positive’ and ‘negative’ symptoms of schizophrenia.

-Positive symptoms are when you experience things in addition to reality. For example, you might see or hear things that others don’t. Or believe things that other people do not.

-Negative symptoms are when you lose the ability to do something. For example, losing motivation to do things or becoming withdrawn. They often last longer than positive symptoms.

-Although schizophrenia can occur at any age, the average age of onset tends to be in the late teens to the early 20s for men, and the late 20s to early 30s for women. 

-It is uncommon for schizophrenia to be diagnosed in a person younger than 12 or older than 40. 

-It is possible to live well with schizophrenia.

-Only a small percentage of people with schizophrenia are violent. People with schizophrenia are far more likely to be harmed by other people than other people are to be harmed by them

SYMPTOMS 

In Teenagers:

-Drop in grades

-Change of friends 

-Irritability 

-sleep problems

-being suspicious 

-withdrawal/ isolation 

General symptoms:

-Hallucinations 

-Delusion

-Negative symptoms 

-Disorganised thinking

-Slow movement

-Poor grooming or hygiene

-Changes in body language and emotions

-Less interest in social activities

-Low sex drive

Commonly, people with schizophrenia have anosognosia or “lack of insight.” This means the person is unaware that he has the illness, which can make treating or working with him much more challenging.

CAUSES

-Genetics: Your likelihood of developing schizophrenia is more than six times higher if you have a close relative, such as a parent or sibling, with the disorder

-Environment: Exposure to viruses or malnutrition before birth, particularly in the first and second trimesters has been shown to increase the risk of schizophrenia

-Brain Chemistry 

-Substance use. Some studies have suggested that taking mind-altering drugs during teen years and young adulthood can increase the risk of schizophrenia

DIAGNOSIS

The difficulty of diagnosing this illness is compounded by the fact that many people who are diagnosed do not believe they have it.

TREATMENT

While no cure exists for schizophrenia, it is treatable and manageable with medication and behavioral therapy, especially if diagnosed early and treated continuously.