Schizophrenia
Guide to schizophrenia disorders
Schizophrenia is arguably the worst mental illness known to humankind. It usually presents itself in the patient's early 20s, though sometimes it presents itself in childhood; but that is very rare. Most loved ones and friends will notice some odd behavior in the patient long before it is diagnosed.
Signs of Schizophrenia
The signs of schizophrenia are often hard to pinpoint. There are positive and negative symptoms of this disorder. The positive symptoms are hallucinations, delusions, psychosis and racing thoughts while the negative symptoms are apathy, lack of affect and poor social functioning. There is also a cognitive component to this disorder which causes disorganized thinking, poor memory, difficulty concentrating and difficulty following directions. There isn't a physical test for schizophrenia, but using clinical tests can rule out other illnesses that can look like schizophrenia, such as a brain tumor, illicit drug use, or seizure disorder. Even though it can be difficult to get a diagnosis, research indicates early diagnosis is integral to longer-term functioning.
Treatment of Schizophrenia
Treatment of schizophrenia is best done with medication. Schizophrenia therapy isn't effective but medication can help control the symptoms. Most patients go off their medications the first year due to side effects, but those who have supportive family members are often able to function the best way possible. If they can stay on their medications, even with the side effects, the outcome is much better and their illness will be better controlled.
Schizophrenia research is finding out new information every day. Hopefully the illness can be better managed in the years to come by proper research of better medication and earlier diagnosis. Research should also lead to a better quality of life for those living with schizophrenia and their loved ones.
Right now, the outcome for children living with schizophrenia isn't as positive as those whose onset is adult age. It seems that schizophrenic children can get a dementia-like illness in their 50s and may die considerably earlier than their adult-onset counterparts. Children with mental illness are considerably more ill than adults, because adults have had longer to develop coping skills. It is to be hoped that research will focus on children, because that research will likely benefit adults as well.
