Stages of schizophrenia: description, signs and characteristics of treatment

Very often people call each other "schizophrenics" just for emotional incontinence, some impulsiveness or an untimely reaction of the brain. Often people are called non-permanent and easily change their decisions. How little we invest in this concept and how much we do not know about what it really is for the disease, how it manifests itself and what the stages of schizophrenia are.

What is schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is a whole group of mental disorders that are associated with a disturbance of emotional reactions, a perception disorder of the surrounding world, of oneself in it and of thinking. Schizophrenia can be recognized by a number of distinctive features:

• Inadequate behavior.
• Sharp and unreasonable mood changes.
• Unreasonable aggression.
• Disorganization of thinking.
• Violations of speech and motor functions.
• Auditory hallucinations.
• Rave.

Because of the extensive list of symptoms, discussions are still ongoing, whether schizophrenia can be considered a separate disease, or this is the diagnosis behind which there is a multitude of syndromes and mental disorders.

Who can get sick

Studies show that on the planet, approximately 0.5 percent of the total population is at one stage or another of the disease. Most often, the disorder begins to manifest itself at a young age, around 20-30 years. They are affected equally often by both men and women.

Causes

It is known that people living in the city suffer from schizophrenia much more often than villagers. Someone connects the risks of getting sick with a genetic predisposition. It is proved that if a family member (mother, father, brother or sister) suffers from this ailment, the probability to start the stage of schizophrenia step by step is much higher.

Increase the risk of becoming a schizophrenic alcohol and drugs. Although there is also a theory that, on the contrary, links dependence on drugs and alcohol dependence with the desire to prevent discomfort and fears associated with mental illness.

An interesting relationship between the risk of developing the disease can be observed by studying the statistics. According to figures, people born in the spring and winter, get sick much more often. Also, infections carried in the womb increase the susceptibility of the psyche to this disease.

The most popular reason for the origin of schizophrenia is the dopamine theory. In healthy people, the dopamine hormone, the neurotransmitter responsible for the person's psychoemotional state, is produced in a certain amount. A lowered or elevated level of this hormone causes hallucinations, mania, nonsense - the main symptoms of schizophrenia.

Symptoms

There are three main groups of symptoms:

• Productive (positive) - hallucinations, delirium.
• Negative (deficit) - apathy, lack of will, weakness, taciturnity.
• Cognitive - disorders of perception of the world, violations of mental activity, attention, disorganization of speech.

Prodromal stage

Like many diseases, schizophrenia has a prodromal period. This is the earliest stage of schizophrenia. This is the period when the disease has not yet begun to develop, but some features and the earliest symptoms of the disease can already tell the doctor and the patient about the impending disease. It is proved that in the case of schizophrenia, such symptoms can be seen about thirty months before the onset of obvious symptoms.

Symptoms of the prodrome:

• irritability;
• Social isolation;
• Morbidly low mood;
• Feeling of dislike for others;
• Light manifestations of aggression.

Stages of schizophrenia

1. The initial period is the initial stage of schizophrenia. Symptoms after the prodromal period are intensified and become more pronounced. This stage lasts until exacerbation. Characteristic:

• Irritability.
• Greed.
• Increased energy and physical activity.
• Reactive or neurotic subdepression.
• Disorder of self perception in the world.

2. Active, acute phase. This period of the disease usually lasts from a month to two. Characteristic for this stage of schizophrenia are the symptoms:

• Psychic breakdown.
• Strong hallucinations.
• Inability to distinguish reality from delusions.
• Confusion of speech and thoughts.

3. The final stage is characterized by a scarce symptomatology (apathy, indifference, frightening calm). It occurs after the acute phase and is particularly pronounced if no appropriate therapy has been performed.

4. Remission. When the first stages of schizophrenia pass, life is improving and, it seems, returns to its former course.

5. Relapses. Most often, schizophrenia returns, and the patient (and his relatives) will face all the hardships of the mental illness again. All stages of the disease can be repeated in turn for many years. Often it is possible to notice regularities and features of the disease course in a particular person. With age, the number of relapses usually increases, but there are cases of complete recovery.

These stages of schizophrenia are divided very conditionally. But each disease is cyclical, and these cycles are repeated one after another throughout life. Schizophrenics often live in a certain world. And it starts around the teenage period. Manifestations of the disease are quite individual. Someone during exacerbations simply ceases to perceive the world around him and closes in himself. Some suffer severe fits with complete loss of themselves, requiring immediate hospitalization.

Many patients in the stage of remission live a normal life and hope for a full recovery. But most often they try to spend as much time as possible alone, are not interested in the opposite sex and are in constant fear of relapse.

Drug treatment positively affects the manifestations of the disease. It alleviates the symptoms and improves the overall well-being of patients.

Treatment

The treatment of schizophrenia is more symptomatic, consists of medications (tranquilizers) and various ways of social and psychological support.

In the acute / active phase of schizophrenia, it is recommended to undergo treatment within the hospital. This will protect the patient from suicide in a state of affect, help the patient's relatives, since the care of such a patient is very complex and individual (most often they lose the opportunity to look after themselves, and their behavior is characterized as socially unacceptable). In addition, hospital treatment methods lead to an early onset of remission.

Most often, patients with schizophrenia after the period of exacerbation remain active and with the support of medications and therapist can lead a normal life and work.