Schizophrenia
What is it?
Schizophrenia is described as a chronic, serious mental health illness, or brain disorder, that impacts the individual’s perception of reality. It is characterized by disruptions in cognitive processes, perceptions, emotional responsiveness, social interactions, and day-to-day activities. Schizophrenia is typically persistent and can be disabling.
What’s the prevalence?
Schizophrenia is rare in young children. Usually, an individual will be diagnosed between the ages of 16 and 30, shortly after the first episode of psychosis. Knowing and understanding the signs, allow for quicker response when that first episode happens, and seeking treatment right away. Changes in the person’s thinking, mood, and social functioning will appear prior to that first episode of psychosis. It is shown that males will show signs and changes in their functioning earlier in life than females (late adolescents to early twenties versus early twenties to early thirties).
Schizophrenia affects roughly 0.32% of the world population (as of 2022) but remains in the top 15 leading causes of disability worldwide. It is estimated that half of that population have a co-occurring mental health or physical health disorder.
What are the signs and symptoms?
Schizophrenia can show up in different ways for individuals, but usually fall withing three categories of symptoms: psychotic, negative, and cognitive.
Psychotic Symptoms: These symptoms impact the way a person thinks, acts, and experiences the world. These symptoms are what are considered as losing touch with the reality that others may be experiencing and therefore, experience reality in a distorted way. These symptoms include hallucinations, delusions, thought disorder, and/or movement disorder.
Negative Symptoms: These symptoms are characterized by loss of motivation, loss of joy or interest in activities, withdrawing from social life, difficulties in expressing emotions, and overall difficulty in functioning normally on a day-to-day basis. They may be considered depressed or thought to be depression as they embody similar signs.
Cognitive Symptoms: These symptoms include problems with attention and focus, difficulty concentrating, difficulty with memory, difficulty following a conservation, learning new things, or remembering tasks and appointments.
What are the treatment options?
Treatment for schizophrenia is available and can help reduce the symptoms they feel to help empower them to gain back day-to-day functioning. Treatment for schizophrenia is multilayered. It may include antipsychotic medications, psychosocial treatments, education and support, and perhaps community or specialty care.
The first step would be to check with your primary health care practitioner who will refer you to a psychiatrist to assess and diagnose you and start you up on the medication (if needed). Psychotherapist can be added on after to help with day-to-day functioning, symptom reducing, and emotional support. Everyone deserves to find the care they need. If you’re ready to add a psychotherapist to your treatment plan, contact us at 647-267-9853.
Resources
National Institute of Mental Health. (2023, May). Schizophrenia. Retrieved on March 14, 2024, from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/schizophrenia
National Institute of Mental Health. (n.d.). Schizophrenia. Retrieved on March 14, 2024, from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/schizophrenia
Torres, F. (2020, August). What is Schizophrenia? American Psychiatric Association. Retrieved on March 14, 2024, from https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/schizophrenia/what-is-schizophrenia
World Health Organization. (2022, January). Schizophrenia. Retrieved on March 14, 2024, from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/schizophrenia#:~:text=Schizophrenia%20affects%20approximately%2024%20million,as%20many%20other%20mental%20disorders