Effective Treatments For Schizophrenia

Movies and other forms of media tend to offer a dramatic portrayal of schizophrenia that focuses on positive symptoms like delusions and hallucinations. This sensationalizing of schizophrenia may contribute to misconceptions of and stigmas surrounding the condition. 

In reality, the severe mental illness known as schizophrenia is more complex and nuanced. It’s a psychotic disorder characterized by disturbances in cognition, emotional control, perception of reality, and behavior. It falls under the category of “Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders” in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), along with schizophreniform disorder, schizoaffective disorder, and others. While there is currently no cure for schizophrenia, effective treatments are available, and those with this mental illness can live long and fulfilling lives.

Causes of schizophrenia

There are a few possible contributing factors to why someone might develop schizophrenia.

Genetics

There is a higher chance that a person may develop schizophrenia if someone in their family has it. No single gene is responsible for this disease, but scientists think it may be a combination of them that governs whether or not you might be at risk for schizophrenia. Of course, many people with schizophrenia do not have a family member with the disorder; it’s simply thought to increase the likelihood.

Environmental 

As with most mental health conditions, life circumstances and stressors may also play a role in the development of schizophrenia. One study identified multiple environmental factors that may contribute to developing schizophrenia, including the season of birth, geographical variations, and substance misuse in the birthing parent as well as uterine factors that can affect a person before birth, including prenatal influenza, insufficient nutrition, stress, and obstetric complications.

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Brain chemistry

A chemical imbalance in the brain may also be an underlying contributing factor to the development of this disorder. Mind-altering drugs (hallucinogens) can cause problems in a developing brain, so taking mind-altering drugs at a young age may also affect brain chemistry and lead to schizophrenia—particularly if other risk factors are also present.

Schizophrenia symptoms

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, the symptoms of schizophrenia fall into three categories: psychotic, negative, and cognitive symptoms.

Psychotic symptoms, or positive symptoms—so named because they indicate the presence of a symptom rather than the lack of a response, as with negative symptoms—may include:

• Hallucinations. Hallucinations happen when you see, feel, or hear things that are not there.
• Delusions. A delusion is a fixed belief that isn’t true. For example, if a person has the persistent belief that everyone is out to get them and there is no factual basis for it, this may be a delusion.
• Incoherent thought/speech. When experiencing acute positive symptoms, people with schizophrenia may be unable to think or speak in a way that makes sense to others. They may sound like they are talking in nonsensical sentences, which can significantly affect social skills and interactions and many other aspects of daily functioning.
• Improper motor skills. Making too many movements or none at all can be considered improper motor skills. In other words, a person with schizophrenia may start to engage in movements that do not align with the current situation.

Negative symptoms may include:

• Acting emotionless. Also called flat affect, a person experiencing negative symptoms of schizophrenia may show no emotion, regardless of what may be going on around them.
• Isolating behaviors. It’s common for a person with schizophrenia to separate themselves from the people that they love, particularly when experiencing symptoms.
• Displaying very low energy. Though rare, someone with schizophrenia may stop moving or talking for a period of time, a symptom known as catatonia. 

Cognitive symptoms may include:

• Difficulty processing information and making decisions
• Difficulty applying learned information
• Difficulty paying attention and focusing

Although the media often portrays people with schizophrenia as being violent, this is typically not the case. People with schizophrenia are more likely to be harmed by others, and the risk of self-harm and violence is greatly decreased when a person is receiving treatment. For these reasons and others, it can be critical to seek professional help to learn to manage the symptoms of this disorder.

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Seeking help for schizophrenia symptoms

Often, people with schizophrenia are unaware of the severity of their symptoms or that they signal a mental disorder. That means it’s not always the person experiencing symptoms who notices a possible problem. If you are around someone exhibiting these symptoms, it can be helpful to encourage them to seek schizophrenia treatment.

Getting diagnosed

Treatments for schizophrenia

Psychotherapy and medication are the two most common forms of treatment for schizophrenia. A healthcare professional can provide a tailored treatment for a given individual, which will likely involve these two treatment types for a comprehensive approach. Making a plan to find a doctor through local health services is usually the first step toward feeling better.

Psychotherapy as treatment

As with most other mental illnesses, there is therapy-based treatment available for a person who receives a diagnosis of schizophrenia. In fact, psychotherapy is thought to be vital when it comes to treating people with this illness. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), personal therapy, and adherence therapy can all be helpful modalities, especially when it comes to educating patients about the importance of taking their medications. In addition, promoting family involvement in psychotherapy treatments has been suggested to decrease rehospitalization and improve social functioning among those with schizophrenia. Social skills training and/or occupational skills training may also be components of a person’s treatment plan.

Prescription medication

Typically, antipsychotic medications are a necessary part of effective treatments for schizophrenia over the long term. A doctor may prescribe multiple medications to help alleviate symptoms. Long-acting first-generation or second-generation antipsychotics, also known as atypical antipsychotics are often prescribed. Some examples of medications a doctor or psychiatrist may recommend for someone with schizophrenia include aripiprazole abilify, paliperidone invega, risperidone risperdal, and asenapine saphris.

Over the course of treatment, a doctor may adjust or change medication dosages and prescriptions. Patients with schizophrenia are typically monitored closely to ensure the medications work for them and that they’re taking them as prescribed. One reason is that symptoms may worsen without medication adherence, and another is that certain side effects or even medical conditions—such as tardive dyskinesia—could affect some people when taking certain medications.

There’s currently no cure for schizophrenia, but that doesn’t mean there’s no relief available. Early detection and diagnosis can set you up for better long-term outcomes, and ongoing treatment may alleviate some of the more severe symptoms this disorder causes. It can be helpful to build a network of doctors, therapists, friends, and family to provide support and guidance as you manage this disorder.

If you are a family, friend, or caregiver who is providing support to someone with schizophrenia, therapy can be a valuable tool to help you care for your own mental health too. Online therapy through a platform like BetterHelp may be the most convenient way to connect with a licensed therapist. It may be easier to incorporate into your schedule because you can meet with your therapist anywhere you have an internet connection rather than commuting to an in-person office every week.

Research indicates that online therapy may be an effective treatment for various mental health disorders, including anxiety and depression, which may affect individuals with schizophrenia and their family members. Online cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in particular has been suggested to improve depression and anxiety symptoms.