Many people believe that a patient with schizophrenia suffers from several different personalities, and this is a false belief. What is it? 

Is schizophrenia a mental or psychological illness?

Schizophrenia is known as schizophrenia. 

It is a chronic mental illness that affects a person's perception, thinking, and behavior, and makes him feel disconnected from reality. 

This is because the patient suffers from disordered thinking and behavior, delusions and hallucinations that hinder his ability to carry out daily activities, and they also affect his social relationships. 

Symptoms of schizophrenia

 Include Symptoms of schizophrenia It is generally divided into four main categories: positive symptoms, negative symptoms, disorganization, and cognitive impairment. 

Those infected may have symptoms from one or all of these categories.

Positive symptoms

It includes distortion of normal functions, such as:

• Deep-seated delusionsFalse beliefs that usually include a misinterpretation of concepts or experiences, and the patient tends to adhere to these beliefs despite clear evidence of their invalidity.
•  Persistent hallucinations: The patient hears, sees, or feels things that do not exist in reality.

Negative symptoms

It includes loss or decline in normal emotional and social functioning, for example:

• Inability to express emotions. 
• The victim's face is frozen and no expression or movement is observed.
•  Weak or absent eye contact.
• Not interacting while speaking by using the hands or head to show some kind of emphasis or interaction with the speech.
• There is no response to events or conversations that cause crying or laughter.
• Lack of speech. The patient may answer questions sharply, or perhaps with one or two words.
• Lack of enjoyment and loss of interest in usual daily activities, and spends more time engaging in useless activities.
• Antisociality: The patient's lack of interest in building relationships with others.
•  Lack of enthusiasm and motivation, and a constant feeling of having no purpose in life.

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Disorganization

It includes thinking disorders and strange behaviors:

• Disturbed thoughts: Thinking in a confused manner, and this appears during distracted speech and moving from one topic to another without a connection between them.
• Strange behaviors: Silly, emotional, or inappropriate childish behavior. 

Cognitive impairment

Cognitive impairment refers to:

• Difficulty concentratingSome patients are unable to ignore distractions or focus on a specific task. 
• Difficulty remembering. 
• Difficulty in organizing and planning. 
• Difficulty solving problems.

Consequently, it is difficult to carry on work that requires attention to details, complex procedures, decision-making, and understanding social interactions.

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Is schizophrenia dangerous?

Don't lie The seriousness of schizophrenia Because it is dangerous to society, schizophrenic patients are often the group that is exposed to violence and crimes, not the group that practices violence on others. 

The possibility of a schizophrenic patient harming those around him is no different from the possibility of any healthy person performing aggressive acts towards society. 

However, the seriousness of the disease lies in its danger to the patient himself.

Failure to subject the patient to an appropriate treatment program for his condition leads to the deterioration of his health and psychological condition, and the emergence of some complications, the most important of which are:

• Other psychological diseases that arise over time, such as: depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

• The negative impact on all aspects of the patient’s life, such as: inability to work, or stopping going to school or university if the patient is a student, isolation from society, financial and living problems, or homelessness.

• Other complications, such as: drug or alcohol abuse, violent behavior, or the development of some physical diseases in the affected person.

As mentioned previously, aggressive behavior in general is not common among patients with schizophrenia, but it can occur in some. 

Indicators of aggressive behavior in a patient with schizophrenia are the following symptoms:

• Unexplained mood changes. 

• Behaviors that have a certain degree of violence or aggression, such as: constant ridicule and mockery of some people, verbal provocation, calling some people unpleasant nicknames, or threatening those around them. 

•  Always talk about topics that often revolve around the violence that can be practiced against certain groups, such as: some ethnic groups, or against certain places, such as some religious facilities.

• The patient's unwillingness to take responsibility for some of his inappropriate actions and conversations;

• The patient constantly talked about the possibility of purchasing some deadly materials and tools such as poisons or weapons.

• The patient has conversations that often revolve around death or violence, or the patient writes texts or draws paintings that revolve around these topics.

• The patient's disclosure that he hears voices in his head urging him to perform aggressive actions, such as killing.

In some cases, a schizophrenic patient may be admitted to the hospital;

Treating schizophrenia without medications

There are three types of therapy used in addition to medications to treat schizophrenia: psychotherapy, alternative medicine therapy, and electroconvulsive therapy. 

Psychotherapy

Psychological treatment for schizophrenia includes: 

• Cognitive behavioral therapy: It helps the patient to change his way of thinking and behavior, and the patient learns ways to deal with delusions and hallucinations, how to identify the stimuli that provoke the occurrence of psychotic episodes, and how to avoid them.

• Family therapy: It works to educate family members about the disease and how to deal with the patient. This treatment helps alleviate the severity of symptoms for up to two years, and reduces the patient’s need to be hospitalized.
• Group therapy: Group therapy provides the schizophrenic patient with a safe space that allows him to exchange experiences on how to deal with the challenges he faces, and this contributes to alleviating the feeling of isolation and developing his social relationships.

Alternative medicine treatment 

It may contribute to alleviating symptoms, in addition to adhering to a treatment plan with the doctor, and these methods should not be used in place of prescribed medications.

Methods of treating schizophrenia at home include:

• Pet-assisted therapy: These animals are trained to provide emotional support to the patient and give him a feeling of pleasure.

• Nutritional supplements and vitamins: They have been found to play a role in improving the symptoms of schizophrenia in some cases, such as:

1. B vitamins.
2. Vitamin D.
3. Omega 3.
4. Antioxidants.
5. Amino acids.

• Relax and avoid stressStress exacerbates hallucinations and delusions, while following some methods contributes to alleviating stress, such as: practicing yoga and meditation, following a healthy diet, and also setting a daily routine for tasks and organizing sleep schedules. 

 Electroconvulsive therapy

This treatment may be used in cases that have not responded to drug treatment, as well as in patients who suffer from severe depression or severe catatonic symptoms, and this treatment is useful in improving the condition. Mood and ability to think.

Schizophrenia is treated with electroshock therapy under general anesthesia, by passing electrical currents through electrodes placed on the head. 

The treatment course usually takes 2 to 3 sessions per week for several weeks.

Book your consultation now at Well-being center At Al Mousa Specialist Hospital 

What is the final way to treat schizophrenia?

There is no definitive treatment for schizophrenia, but there are some therapeutic solutions that help keep the condition under control. 

As we mentioned above, there are 3 methods without medications that can be used in addition to medications. It is necessary to take medications to control symptoms. 

Medications to treat schizophrenia include:

• مضادات الذهان. 
• Mood stabilizers. 
• مضادات الاكتئاب. 

 Sometimes, the patient needs to try several different medications or doses based on the doctor’s recommendations to find the best medication suitable for his condition. 

Are there cases of recovery from schizophrenia?

Research indicates that complete adherence to taking medications and sessions makes the rate of recovery from schizophrenia reach 70% in many cases. 

It is worth noting that a schizophrenic patient continues to take medications throughout his life that improve dopamine levels in the brain in a way that makes his condition as stable as possible without causing problems.

Schizophrenia and marriage

 Schizophrenia is like any mental illness in which the situation varies between each patient and another, based on:

•  Severity of the disorder. 
•   The patient's degree of adherence to treatment. 
• Degree of response to treatment. 
• The patient's degree of awareness and understanding of the nature of the disease. 

Some specialized doctors confirm that a patient with schizophrenia, whether a man or a woman, can get married if he is aware of some solid foundations, which are:

•  He knows the meaning of marriage and its requirements. 
• Understands the issue of marital cohabitation. 
• In the case of a sick man, he must be aware of the issue of spending on the wife, and the rights of the wife. 
• Knowing the rights of the husband if she is a woman. 
• This patient does not pose a danger to the partner.

We must not forget that the inheritance rate of the disease ranges between 1% to 3%. 

But we must also know that the infection can be prevented if children stay away from drinking drugs or hashish, because it affects the person’s mental health and increases the risk of schizophrenia if he has a genetic predisposition. Likewise, problems and stress must be avoided as much as possible.

It is important for the other partner to be aware that his partner is suffering from a psychological illness and to accept that. This will certainly help in treatment, and with an understanding and wise partner, they can preserve their marriage and help with the continuation of treatment. 

Early detection and treatment is the main direction in the treatment of schizophrenia.

 In the beginning, or what is called the prodrome of the disease, the symptoms are simple and manageable, before they worsen due to life's effort. 

For more information about available treatments for schizophrenia, you can Book a consultation immediately At Al Mousa Specialist Hospital. 

Frequently asked questions

Can a schizophrenic patient dispense with medication after a while?

In most cases, it is not recommended for a patient with schizophrenia to dispense with medication to treat schizophrenia even after his condition improves, as medications play a fundamental and very important role in controlling symptoms and preventing relapses. Schizophrenia is considered one of the chronic diseases that require continuous monitoring and long-term treatment. Sudden cessation of medication also leads to a severe return of symptoms such as hallucinations and thought disorder. However, in some rare cases, the doctor reduces the dose or evaluates the possibility of gradually stopping medication to treat schizophrenia after studying the case and providing adequate psychological and social support.

Is there a relationship between early treatment and recovery outcomes?

There is a strong relationship between early treatment and recovery results, especially in cases of psychological disorders such as schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety, as well as chronic organic diseases. The earlier the condition is diagnosed and the treatment begins, the greater the chances of controlling symptoms and reducing complications. Early treatment helps limit the deterioration of the patient’s functional and social condition, and helps reduce the duration of treatment in the long term. Therefore, early intervention is considered one of the most important factors for success in the recovery plan and achieving the best results on the psychological and physical levels.

Do newer medications reduce older side effects?

Yes, modern medications are often developed to reduce the side effects that were common with older medications, especially in areas such as psychiatric medications, antibiotics, and cancer medications. Many new treatments have been updated to be more precise in targeting the disease, which reduces their impact on various other organs, and limits side effects such as drowsiness, weight gain, or gastrointestinal disorders. However, this does not mean that modern medications are completely devoid of side effects, but they are often more tolerable and safe when used under appropriate medical supervision.

Sources and references 

Schizophrenia – nih

What is Schizophrenia – psychiatry