Like many other mental disorders, schizophrenia is a term that is sometimes used incorrectly and can evoke fear, violence or madness. But is there any knowledge about this mental disorder? In this article, we will discuss in greater depth what this disease is, how it originates, what its symptoms are, what treatments are most suitable, as well as what is true and what is not. With all this, we seek to shed more light on the subject because, as with all things, the more knowledge you have, the closer you will get to reality.
What is schizophrenia?
In simple terms, it could be said that schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder in which people interpret reality in a distorted way. If we go deeper into the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) we see that schizophrenia may not be a single disorder in itself, that is, there is a spectrum within it, as well as a series of associated disorders that are: Schizotypal character disorder. Characterized by a pervasive pattern of social and interpersonal deficits, the presence of cognitive or perceptual distortions, and behavioral eccentricities.
Delusional disorder. Delusions are defined as fixed beliefs that do not change in the light of evidence against them (e.g . persecutory, religious, grandiose, etc.).
Brief psychotic disorder. Characterized by the sudden onset of certain positive psychotic symptoms such as delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, etc.
Schizoaffective disorder. Characterized with the aid of using an aggregate of signs of schizophrenia, consisting of hallucinations or delusions, and signs of a temper disorder, consisting of melancholy or mania.
Substance-induced psychotic disorder. Similar to a brief psychotic disorder, except that its trigger is a drug.
Psychotic Disorder Due to Another Medical Condition. The consequence of this is due to another medical disorder.
What is your formative hypothesis?
There are several theories explaining schizophrenia, although the vulnerability-stress model is the most widely accepted. This model states that certain people have a biopsychological vulnerability to suffer from schizophrenia, which would only manifest itself if certain environmental stressors were present in the absence of certain protective factors. Thus, the greater the weight of the genetic vulnerability, the less intense the environmental factors must be to provoke a psychotic crisis. Similarly, it is estimated that the less vulnerable the person is, the stronger the stress or other external factors must be to provoke it. In other words, to put it in simpler terms, the person has a genetic predisposition in terms of personality and it is the environment that triggers or not certain pathologies. Within the environment, great importance must be given to the family system in which one has grown up since educational influence can be that protector, as well as that trigger in many cases.
What are its symptoms?
The symptoms of schizophrenia are divided into positive symptoms, referring to strange behaviors (delusions, hallucinations, altered motor actions, etc.), negative symptoms, referring to a decrease or loss of different functions (alogia, affective flattening, anhedonia, etc.), and disorganized symptoms (disorganized language and behavior, etc.).
In addition to the symptoms, it is important to know what the usual course of schizophrenia is:
Prodromal phase. The previous phase before the actual appearance of the disorder, where some symptoms or signs occur, but are not yet sufficiently severe.
First episode. The moment in which some of the symptoms or signs become manifest.
The acute phase is the manifestation of symptoms and signs.
Stabilization phase: When the intervention reduces the symptoms.
Residual or stable phase: When the patient returns to a situation where the symptoms are compatible with daily life.
What treatments are effective?
With schizophrenia, we must start from the basis that it is a chronic disease, that is, there is currently no treatment that makes it disappear completely. However, this does not mean that there are no treatments with therapeutic results; in fact, there are treatments that allow the person to lead a practically normal life. Through the American Psychological Society, it is seen that cognitive-behavioral therapy, cognitive adaptation training, assertive communication treatment, family psychoeducation therapy, and social skills training, among others, enjoy good empirical evidence.
Briefly developing the keys to the psychological approach to be taken with this disease, it can be said that initially, treatment adherence is the most complex, but at the same time the most important thing to be able to do a good job later. This means that people with this diagnosis tend to initially show a strong denial of the present problem, as well as a great reluctance to the prescribed psychotropic drugs (antipsychotics), which are essential as adjuvants to therapy. If the patient can use them with the necessary regularity, then come the four important blocks to work on in therapy, which are:
Psychoeducational family intervention. Here, the person’s closest loved ones are provided with tools and trained to help with their treatment.
Social skills training. Different communication techniques are provided to the person to improve their relationship with their environment.
Cognitive-behavioral treatment. This is where the hardest work is done, as the patient’s entire problem is explained, all of his cognitive patterns are structured, and they are restructured.
Various multimodal packages. They combine various techniques that affect one or another level of the person.
Debunking stereotypes…
The big problem with this and other mental disorders is the stigmatization they suffer from a part of society. This is usually due to a lack of knowledge and the ease of making value judgments without checking reliable sources. That is why, below, the false beliefs that are sometimes held about schizophrenia are put to the test:
“Schizophrenics are highly dangerous and violent.”
To start by saying that the idea of schizophrenia equals violence has no scientific basis. The percentage is much lower than 10% (Esbec and Echeburúa, 2016). Furthermore, when a criminal act occurs, it is always due to neglect of medication, as well as abandonment of therapy. It should also be added that these are minor crimes and, in reality, they are more likely to be victims than perpetrators.
“People with schizophrenia are disabled.” Stating this as an absolute truth is also a mistake since other variables must also be taken into account, such as the possibility of other associated disorders. That is to say, a person with this diagnosis may have a certain percentage of disability, but in many cases, if they undergo good treatment, they can reintegrate into society without problems and thus be able to enjoy the different areas of their life.
“People with schizophrenia must be hospitalized.”
Hospitalization is the last measure and should only be used if the previous resources have been exhausted or have not worked. Furthermore, once the person has been stabilized, they can often be released again.
“Schizophrenic people are crazy.” Few adjectives are as damaging to an individual as this one. According to its definition, crazy is someone who has lost his or her mind, and it could be true that a person who suffers a psychotic outbreak is in a temporary episode of “madness.” However, sentencing a person to life with such an adjective is simply destructive, and who has not been irrational at some point in their life?
In conclusion, with all that has been developed in the previous lines, it is hoped that the information has been useful in learning a little more about this problem, and most importantly, it is hoped that the degree of empathy will be greater once what has been discussed has been reflected upon.
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