Schizophrenia is a complex, misunderstood illness that affects less than 1% of the population. Derived from the Greek words “schizo”-meaning split, and “phren”- meaning mind, is often mistaken for a split personality.
When somebody thinks of schizophrenia, they typically think of DID or dissociative identity disorder. The splitting does not refer to personalities in this case, but rather the splitting of mental functioning or a separation from reality.
Schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders—brief psychotic disorder, delusional disorder, schizoaffective disorder, schizophreniform disorder, and schizotypal personality disorder—are defined by negative symptoms, psychotic symptoms, and cognitive dysfunction.
Psychotic or positive symptoms
● Delusions: or false beliefs about the world, frequently include little to no evidence supporting it. Some ideas may come in the form of persecution, where people believe that a government agency is out to get them.
● Grandiosity: they may believe they are famous or a celebrity of some kind, or they have supernatural powers
● Hallucinations (false perceptions): this could be auditory -where people hear things that aren’t there, or visual-where people see things that aren’t there
● Disorganized thought and speech: it isn’t easy to follow thinking patterns. Often described as incoherent or word salad- words and ideas that are challenging to understand
● Catatonia: abnormal motor behavior
Negative symptoms
The normal behaviors you see in healthy individuals but are missing or lacking in those suffering from schizophrenia-related disorders are known as negative symptoms.
Common negative symptoms include:
● Blunted emotional expression: someone no longer reacts to things emotionally or may display inappropriate reactions like laughing at things that aren’t humorous. ● Anhedonia: A lack of pleasure in doing things they used to enjoy. This is also prevalent in several mental illnesses.
● Alogia: declined speech mutism in extreme cases, or decrease in the usual amount ● Avolution: Reduced sense of will and purposeful activities
● Asociality: decrease in social activities
Cognitive symptoms
Cognitive symptoms are hard to see, as they refer to difficulties with thinking (or cognition). This makes it challenging to maintain a job or do daily living activities.
Commonly associated with schizophrenia, general shortages in this area of functioning include:
● Difficulty processing information
● Memory issues
● Trouble paying attention
Diagnostic criteria
A diagnosis is based on a person’s symptoms and the amount of time they are present. ● Two or more positive symptoms
● Symptoms need to occur regularly over one month-this helps separate schizophrenia from other disorders in this category
It’s necessary to note that people experiencing these symptoms will also lack a perception of them. If someone is experiencing hallucinations or delusions, they don’t understand that these are symptoms; they think they are real. They often need to be pointed out by another person.
It is recommended that schizophrenia be viewed as a neurodevelopmental disorder. The idea here is there are changes or influences during the development of the brain; symptoms don’t express themselves until later. So the onset typically occurs between 18-30; the most common age of onset is the early 20s.
Catatonia
Catatonia is characterized by abnormal movements, such as:
● Locking body into unusual postures
● Remaining stiff or resisting movement in general
What was once misunderstood as a subset of schizophrenia, catatonia can occur in a broad spectrum of psychiatric conditions. Although catatonia and schizophrenia can exist individually, they are closely tied to one another.
Delusional Disorder
Delusional disorder is defined by firmly held, false beliefs that persist for over a month. This disorder typically affects people in middle or late adult life and is less common than schizophrenia.
These inaccurate beliefs may be ordinary things that could occur (such as being betrayed by a partner) or things that are extremely unlikely to occur (such as believing that the mailman is out to get you).
Schizoaffective Disorder
Schizoaffective disorder is identified by a blend of schizophrenia symptoms, as well as mood disorder symptoms, such as depression or mania. Schizoaffective disorder looks different from person to person.
There are two types of schizoaffective disorder — both of which incorporate some symptoms of schizophrenia — are:
● Bipolar type, which may include episodes of mania and sometimes depression ● Depressive type, which includes only major depressive episodes
Schizophreniform Disorder
As with schizophrenia, people with schizophreniform disorder have similar symptoms that show a loss of contact with reality, but they only last for one to six months. The length of time is essential here. If symptoms last longer than six months, it is more likely to be schizophrenia.
Brief Psychotic Disorder
Brief psychotic disorder is a sudden, short term display of psychotic behavior, such as hallucinations or delusions, and is often the result of a stressful event. Those with brief psychotic disorder typically function well between episodes and have less intense symptoms.
Treatment options
Any treatment for a schizophrenia-related disorder can be challenging because most people strongly believe in their delusions and resist seeking help. A long-term treatment goal usually aims to alter the person’s focus from the delusion to a more effective and productive area, although this goal is frequently difficult to achieve.
A treatment plan may include: ● Antipsychotic drugs: medication can be useful in reducing or eliminating symptoms, such as delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized thinking. ● Psychotherapy: therapy can help establish a trusting relationship between the individual and the treatment team. With the collaborative effort, individuals can learn how to treat their disorder and manage stressors that aggravate it effectively. ● Specialty care: Rehabilitation and support programs are meant to teach people the skills needed to live within a community. They enable individuals with schizophrenia to work, take care of themselves, and build relationships with others.
Individual Online Therapy in Florida, Idaho, South Carolina, and Utah
At Calming Transformations Counseling, our therapists understand life can be hard and can affect our emotional and mental health. We also serve those with anxiety, stress, depression, or relationship issues, who may be religious. Sessions can be held through online therapy in the states of Florida, Idaho, South Carolina or Utah, or walk and talk therapy in Hillsborough County, Florida. Book an appointment or contact us today to schedule a session and take the first step toward a more peaceful life.
