Q:What is Schizophrenia
A:
Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe, and disabling brain disease. Approximately 1
percent of the population develops schizophrenia during their lifetime – more
than 2 million Americans suffer from the illness in a given year. Although
schizophrenia affects men and women with equal frequency, the disorder often
appears earlier in men, usually in the late teens or early twenties, than in
women, who are generally affected in the twenties to early thirties. People with
schizophrenia often suffer terrifying symptoms such as hearing internal voices
not heard by others, or believing that other people are reading their minds,
controlling their thoughts, or plotting to harm them. These symptoms may leave
them fearful and withdrawn. Their speech and behavior can be so disorganized
that they may be incomprehensible or frightening to others. Available treatments
can relieve many symptoms, but most people with schizophrenia continue to suffer
some symptoms throughout their lives; it has been estimated that no more than
one in five individuals recovers completely.
This is a time of hope for people with schizophrenia and their families.
Research is gradually leading to new and safer medications and unraveling the
complex causes of the disease. Scientists are using many approaches from the
study of molecular genetics to the study of populations to learn about
schizophrenia. Methods of imaging the brain’s structure and function hold the
promise of new insights into the disorder.
A:
Schizophrenia is found all over the world. The severity of the symptoms and
long-lasting, chronic pattern of schizophrenia often cause a high degree of
disability. Medications and other treatments for schizophrenia, when used
regularly and as prescribed, can help reduce and control the distressing
symptoms of the illness. However, some people are not greatly helped by
available treatments or may prematurely discontinue treatment because of
unpleasant side effects or other reasons. Even when treatment is effective,
persisting consequences of the illness – lost opportunities, stigma, residual
symptoms, and medication side effects – may be very troubling.
The first signs of schizophrenia often appear as confusing, or even shocking,
changes in behavior. Coping with the symptoms of schizophrenia can be especially
difficult for family members who remember how involved or vivacious a person was
before they became ill. The sudden onset of severe psychotic symptoms is
referred to as an “acute” phase of schizophrenia. “Psychosis,” a common
condition in schizophrenia, is a state of mental impairment marked by
hallucinations, which are disturbances of sensory perception, and/or delusions,
which are false yet strongly held personal beliefs that result from an inability
to separate real from unreal experiences. Less obvious symptoms, such as social
isolation or withdrawal, or unusual speech, thinking, or behavior, may precede,
be seen along with, or follow the psychotic symptoms.
Some people have only one such psychotic episode; others have many episodes
during a lifetime, but lead relatively normal lives during the interim periods.
However, the individual with “chronic” schizophrenia, or a continuous or
recurring pattern of illness, often does not fully recover normal functioning
and typically requires long-term treatment, generally including medication, to
control the symptoms.
It is important to rule out other illnesses, as sometimes people suffer severe
mental symptoms or even psychosis due to undetected underlying medical
conditions. For this reason, a medical history should be taken and a physical
examination and laboratory tests should be done to rule out other possible
causes of the symptoms before concluding that a person has schizophrenia. In
addition, since commonly abused drugs may cause symptoms resembling
schizophrenia, blood or urine samples from the person can be tested at hospitals
or physicians’ offices for the presence of these drugs.
At times, it is difficult to tell one mental disorder from another. For
instance, some people with symptoms of schizophrenia exhibit prolonged extremes
of elated or depressed mood, and it is important to determine whether such a
patient has schizophrenia or actually has a manic-depressive (or bipolar)
disorder or major depressive disorder. Persons whose symptoms cannot be clearly
categorized are sometimes diagnosed as having a “schizoaffective disorder.”
Q:
Can Children Have Schizophrenia?
A:
Children over the age of five can develop schizophrenia, but it is very rare
before adolescence. Although some people who later develop schizophrenia may
have seemed different from other children at an early age, the psychotic
symptoms of schizophrenia – hallucinations and delusions – are extremely
uncommon before adolescence.
continue: What's It Like Living With Schizophrenia?
top .
pages 1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8 .
send to friend .
schizophrenia site
map
Reviewed: 03/2006
|
|
del.icio.us
Digg
Furl
Google
StumbleUpon
Yahoo