Schizophrenia is a chronic psychotic disorder which, if untreated, can severely interfere with normal functioning. For men, schizophrenia usually emerges in the teens or early 20s, and for women, in the mid-20s to early 30s. The occurrence of the disorder is fairly equal across sex and ethnic groups.
Causes
The scientific community remains torn about what causes schizophrenia. It is clear, however, that there is more than one factor at work. Researchers today generally subscribe to a bio-psycho-social model of the disorder. This model shows schizophrenia as caused by the interaction of biological (genetic), psychological and social (environmental) factors.
Schizophrenia runs in families, with the identical twin of a schizophrenic having a 50 percent chance of sharing the disorder.
Symptoms
Schizophrenic symptoms fall into three general categories. Positive symptoms are the hallucinations, delusions and thought and movement disorders classically indicative of schizophrenia. Negative symptoms include loss or decrease of speaking ability, inability to express emotion, and often take away from the pleasure of life. These symptoms can mimic those of depression, and are often mistaken as such. Cognitive symptoms, or cognitive deficits, of schizophrenia include attention, memory, and organization and planning problems.
Risk Factors
Risk factors for schizophrenia include: abnormal brain structure, heredity, birth trauma, exposure to a virus while in the womb and substance abuse. These and many other factors have been linked to the onset of schizophrenia in research studies. The most dependable link, however, has long been in genetics. It has been estimated that the instance of schizophrenia in the general population is only about 1 percent, whereas the instance of schizophrenia in those with a parent or sibling with the disorder is as high as 10 percent.
Treatments/Medications
Schizophrenia is usually treated with a combination of medication and therapy. The medications used to treat schizophrenic symptoms are called antipsychotics. There are two types: typical (neuroleptic), and atypical antipsychotics. Whether a person is treated with typical or atypical antipsychotics depends on the person's responses to treatment and side effects.
Therapies recommended for those with schizophrenia vary from person to person depending on symptoms and the severity of the disease. Some common therapies include behavioral management therapy, family therapy, drug abuse treatment, inpatient or partial hospitalization and social skills training.
Outlooks
Schizophrenia has no known cure, but treatments and medications are becoming more effective at treating its symptoms. Many people with the disorder are able to live happy and satisfying lives as long as they stick to their treatment.
With genetic and neurological research growing, new insights into the treatment, causes, and prevention of the disorder are sure to come in the near future.
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