Why Do People With Schizophrenia Die Prematurely?

That is the title of this article I reviewed today. "Schizophrenia affects approximately 1% of the US population. This serious psychiatric illness is characterized by psychotic symptoms (hallucinations and delusions), cognitive symptoms (difficulties with attention, memory, and decision making), and negative symptoms (withdrawn behavior, low speech output and content, and diminished motivation).
Although there is no cure for schizophrenia, treatment can decrease symptoms. Currently, these treatments include medications and psychosocial interventions. Many individuals with schizophrenia can work, live independently or with limited assistance, and enjoy life. Unfortunately, some individuals have symptoms that do not respond to treatment and interfere with their ability to lead independent lives and comply with treatment. Persons with schizophrenia have a greatly diminished life span. In general, people with this disorder die more than 25 years earlier than the general population. In other words, these individuals can only expect to live about 70% of the normal life span. Why do they die early?"That is a drag that a person cannot live out a full life.  I know I want to especially now that my great grandson was born.  I want to get to know him. When you have schizophrenia you have to worry about your health and take care like exercise.
The article goes on to say: "In a paper recently published in JAMA Psychiatry, Mark Olfson and colleagues set out to answer this question. They examined reasons for premature mortality in a group of over 1 million people with schizophrenia covered by Medicaid, the largest insurance provider for persons suffering from schizophrenia in the U.S. They identified causes of death for over 65,500 of the 74,000 people who died during the study period and found that individuals with schizophrenia had an increased rate of death across all ages and all demographic groups when compared to the general population. What were the causes of death in these individuals? Olfson and colleagues found that both natural causes and unnatural causes of death were increased by over three-fold. The most common causes of death were cardiovascular disease, cancer (particularly lung cancer), diabetes, influenza, accidental deaths, and suicides. The large majority of deaths (almost 55,750) resulted from natural causes. However, the rates of death from suicide and accidents were also substantially elevated"I do not know if my lung cancer was caused my schizophrenia or it runs in my family. I have to say that because my mom just had breast cancer so it probably runs in the family.  My aunt also died from lung cancer.  Suicide I guess I should put up articles about hope because you do not have to have a mental illness to commit suicide. My ex-wife did because she thought she could not go through life being alone all she needed was a day and the argument she had would have been forgotten.  I blame myself a lot because some one you once loved was unhappy.  How did I contribute to that. Everyone gets depressed once in awhile but there is so much to live such as grand kids.
The article ends: "Smoking is a significant risk factor for a number of diseases on this list. It has been known for a long time that a large majority of persons with schizophrenia smoke. In fact, the rate of smoking for individuals with schizophrenia is more than twice the rate observed in individuals without schizophrenia. Many are also very heavy smokers. This increased rate of smoking accounts for some of the increased death rate, but not all of it. Can something be done to decrease premature death in people with schizophrenia? Helping individuals stop smoking would greatly improve life expectancy. Premature deaths from cardiovascular disease can also be reduced by treating high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels. The effects of diabetes and cardiovascular disease can also be diminished by regular exercise, eating right, and, in those who are obese, weight loss. Health care professionals should routinely screen for suicidality, depression, and use of alcohol and other drugs of abuse, and recommend treatment when appropriate. Encouraging individuals to minimize their use of alcohol and marijuana may lead to a decrease in accidental deaths and deaths from suicide. Treatments for drug addiction can help a number of individuals avoid premature death.
Although implementing the above recommendations may be a challenge in persons with psychotic illnesses, such treatment programs can and do work in this population. Investing in educational and psychosocial resources will save lives. It is important that families and friends of people living with schizophrenia not give up and continuously encourage their loved ones to engage in programs that include smoking cessation, drug cessation, exercise, healthy eating, maintenance of healthy body weight, and control of high blood pressure and high cholesterol." It did not matter that I quit smoking nineteen years ago I still got lung cancer.  I was a heavy smoker though. I have high blood pressure but it is controlled my two medicines. Which personally I do not like taking all kinds of medication the cost and having to take all those medicines.

Genes Tied to Smaller Brain Area in Those At Risk for Psychosis

That is the title of this article I am reviewing today. "Scientists in Switzerland have uncovered a link between certain genes and the size of important brain structures in individuals with a heightened risk of schizophrenia psychosis. The findings are published in the scientific journal Translational Psychiatry. Schizophrenia is a severely debilitating mental disorder characterized by hallucinations, delusions and cognitive decline. The condition has been linked to a variety of biological, social, and environmental factors as well as to changes in brain structure. For example, the hippocampus in the temporal lobe is usually smaller in people with schizophrenia compared to those without the disorder. Researchers have been unsure whether these changes to the brain structure are a result of the disorder and/or its prescribed medications, or whether these changes were already present before the onset of symptoms. For the study, a research team at the University of Basel examined the brain structures of individuals who were at risk of developing psychosis as well as those of patients who were experiencing the onset of psychotic symptoms for the first time."  I do not understand what they could have found because everyone with the schizophrenia have different ways the mental illness affects some are lower functioning some are higher functioning.
The article goes on to say: "Initially, scientists from the Adult Psychiatric Clinic of the University Psychiatric Clinics (UPK) and the Transfaculty Research Platform Molecular and Cognitive Neurosciences (MCN) observed no notable differences between the hippocampi of individuals at high risk and those of patients. Next, in collaboration with scientists from the Transfaculty Research Platform, the Basel researchers investigated whether any known schizophrenia risk genes were associated with the hippocampus structure. They did, in fact, find a connection. The researchers found that the greater the number of risk genes a person possessed, the smaller the volume of their hippocampus. This was true regardless of whether they were a high-risk study participant or a patient."  There have been other studies with the hippocampus  I wrote about them a couple of years ago.
The article ends: "'This discovery suggests that a group of risk genes is connected with a reduction in the size of a critical region of the brain before the disorder manifests itself. The findings offer a greater understanding of neurobiological factors contributing to schizophrenia. It is well-known that none of the wider risk factors (e.g. genes, environment, unfavorable social situation) can be used to predict the onset of psychosis in any specific person. However, the discovery may be of use for the treatment of schizophrenia. 'It is quite possible that individuals with smaller hippocampi will react differently to therapy compared to those with normally developed hippocampi,' said lead researcher Dr. Stefan Borgwardt of the Neuropsychiatry and Brain Imaging Unit. The scientists are planning more studies to further confirm the therapeutic potential of this new finding.'"  They do these studies but we get no answers.  Like I would like to know why I have this disease since it does not run in my family.

Marker for Poor Memory in Schizophrenia Patients Identified

That is the title of this article I am reviewing. "Possible key to understanding and treating cognitive symptoms of the disease.
A new study has identified a pattern of brain activity that may be a sign of memory problems in people with schizophrenia. The biomarker, which the researchers believe may be the first of its kind, is an important step toward understanding and treating one of the most devastating symptoms of schizophrenia. The study, led by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) and the New York State Psychiatric Institute (NYSPI), was published today in the journal Biological Psychiatry. While schizophrenia typically causes hallucinations and delusions, many people with the disorder also have cognitive deficits, including problems with short- and long-term memory.
'Of all the symptoms linked to schizophrenia, memory issues may have the greatest impact on quality of life, as they can make it difficult to hold down a job and maintain social relationships,' said first author Jared X. Van Snellenberg, PhD, assistant professor of clinical psychology (in psychiatry) at CUMC and research scientist in the division of translational imaging at NYSPI. 'Unfortunately, we know very little about the cause of these memory problems and have no way to treat them.'" I know memory is a problem for a lot of people with schizophrenia.  I have a good memory for numbers I can remember them.  Before this disease I did not have  a phone book all the numbers were in my head.  I did not lose that.  Although when I was in college studying math with my tutor he would he gets it but as soon as he walks out the door he does not remember a thing.
The article goes on to say: "Researchers have long hypothesized that memory problems in schizophrenia stem from disruptions in the brain’s dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). This area of the brain plays a key role in working memory–the system for temporarily storing and managing information required to carry out complex cognitive tasks. However, previous studies, which used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to compare DLPFC activation in healthy individuals and those with schizophrenia while taking memory tests, have not shown clear differences.
Dr. Van Snellenberg hypothesized that the studies failed to detect a difference because the memory tests did not have enough levels of difficulty. In 2014 he and his colleagues designed a computerized test that includes eight levels of increasingly difficulty in a single working memory task." When my old boss had me doing brain training games I would get better each day.  It is repetition that worked. I have to keep repeating things if I want to make sure I remember them.
The article ends: "In the current study, 45 healthy controls and 51 schizophrenia patients, including 21 who were not taking antipsychotic medications, were given the eight-level memory test while undergoing fMRI imaging. As expected, the healthy controls demonstrated a gradual increase in DLPFC activation, followed by a gradual decrease in activation as the task gets harder. But in both medicated and unmedicated schizophrenia patients, the overall response was significantly weaker, with the weakest response occurring in those who had the most difficulty with the memory task.
The researchers believe this may be the first time a brain signal in DLPFC has been directly linked to working memory performance in patients with schizophrenia. 'Our findings provide evidence that the DLPFC is compromised in patients with schizophrenia,' said Dr. Van Snellenberg. 'What they don’t tell us is why, which is something we ultimately hope to figure out. In the meantime, we now have a specific target for treatment, and a new way to measure whether a treatment is working.'" Hopefully they can figure it out so that people with schizophrenia can work and do college.  That was my only problem in college I had to read things at least twice if not more to do tests and such.  I made it through even though it took a while to complete college.

Scientists Discover Genetic, Biologic Cause Of Schizophrenia

That is the title of this article I am reviewing today. "This links many previous findings about the disease and could lead to better treatments. Schizophrenia can present itself with any number of symptoms, from disorganized thinking or motor behavior, to hallucinations or delusions. Together these manifestations often leave a patient unable to function normally and with very few effective treatment options. And though researchers had not been able to figure out the underlying cause of the disease, they've learned a lot in the past few years—genetic mutations probably play a role, as does the immune system and the microbiome. Now scientists have identified a genetic variant in schizophrenic patients that links many of these previous observations, according to a study published today in Nature. If the researchers have in fact discovered the underlying biological cause for schizophrenia as they claim, it could lead to better treatments for the condition." This would be great news for those that will get this disease in the future.  Maybe with this better medicines for now and who knows for the future.
The article goes on to say: "'This study marks a crucial turning point in the fight against mental illness.' Over the past five years, the researchers have collected genetic data from 65,000 people in 30 countries. They knew that mutations in certain genes were linked to schizophrenia, but the researchers wanted to use their huge dataset to find the strongest correlation possible. And they found one—people with highly expressed variations of a gene called complement component 4 (C4) were much more likely to develop schizophrenia. They confirmed the connection between C4 genes and protein production by analyzing 700 samples of human brains. Scientists already knew that the C4 gene generates a protein that the body uses to mark pathogens so that the immune system destroys them. But, importantly, it’s also used during synaptic pruning, a period in adolescence in which the brain eliminates excess connections in order to strengthen the pathways it uses most often. Through experiments in animal models, the researchers found that greater C4 expression leads to more synaptic pruning."Well they have found the gene responsible.  Even though I did not develop full blown schizophrenia until I was twenty seven it was there in my early adult years and caused be to not be able to have a good marriage even though we both loved each other.  Because it was not spoken about back then.
The article ends" "People with highly expressed variations of a gene called complement component 4 (C4) were much more likely to develop schizophrenia. These C4 variants could lead to excessive synaptic pruning during adolescence, the researchers believe, which could make a patient more likely to develop schizophrenia. That might explain why schizophrenia symptoms start in the teens or early 20s, and why adults with schizophrenia have thinner cerebral cortices that contain fewer synapses. C4 also likely affects the immune system and the components of the microbiome in schizophrenic patients, though the exact relationship between C4 expression and immune variations is still unknown. Understanding the biological mechanism means that researchers could develop more effective treatments for schizophrenia, as the ones currently in use are largely designed to manage symptoms but not address the disease directly. If scientists could decrease the synaptic pruning during a patient’s adolescence, they might be able to reduce the severity of schizophrenia, or maybe prevent the disease altogether. "This study marks a crucial turning point in the fight against mental illness,' Bruce Cuthbert, the acting director of the National Institute of Mental Health and who was not involved in the research, said in a press release. "This study changes the game. Thanks to this genetic breakthrough we can finally see the potential for clinical tests, early detection, new treatments, and even prevention.'"The study changes the game.  That is the best news I think we can those of us who have this disease.

Scientist spends nine months in max-security prison to learn how prisons manage mental illness in inmates

That is the title of this article I am writing about. “Case Western Reserve University mental health researcher Joseph Galanek spent a cumulative nine months in an Oregon maximum-security prison to learn first-hand how the prison manages inmates with mental illness. What he found, through 430 hours of prison observations and interviews, is that inmates were treated humanely and security was better managed when cell block officers were trained to identify symptoms of mental illness and how to respond to them. In the 150- year-old prison, he discovered officers used their authority with flexibility and discretion within the rigid prison structure to deal with mentally ill inmates.  Galenek’s observations and interviews with 23 staff members and 20 inmates with severe mental illness, are described in Medical Anthropology Quarterly article, ‘Correctional Officers and the Incarcerated Mentally Ill: Responses to Psychiatric Illness in Prison.’ The National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Mental Health supported his research. ‘With this research, I hope to establish that prisons, with appropriate policies and staff training, can address the mental health needs of prisoners with severe mental illness,’ said Galenek, PhD, MPH a medical anthropologist and research associate at the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences’ Begun Center for Violence Education and Prevention Research at Case Western Reserve.” He looks like he has the skills necessary to find out how to best treat mentally ill prisoners.  I know that this is a prison and they are there to do time.  Although I was once one of them and there is nothing crueler than being mentally ill while you are locked up.
The article goes on to say: “ Additionally, he said, ‘I show that supporting the mental health needs of inmates with severe mental illness concurrently supports the safety and security of prisons, and that these two missions are not mutually exclusive.  With the number of prisoners with severe mental illness increasing, efforts need to be made by all prison staff to ensure that this segment of the prison population has appropriate mental health care and safety.’ Galanek saw how administrative policies and cultural values at the prison allowed positive relationships to develop between officers and prisoners diagnosed with severe mental illness, among the prison’s 2,000 inmates. In this maximum-security prison, left unidentified for the study to protect the confidentiality of officers and inmates officers received training to identify symptoms of mental illness, which, in turn, led to better security, safety and humane treatment of potentially volatile inmates.  But officers were also able to use their discretion in handling some situations. Galanek observed, for example, the following instances where an officer’s decision—rather than rigidly enforcing prison rules—helped mentally ill inmates and maintain order within the institution.” It is always better when you can work a situation for the better for both parties involved.  A person just wants to make life easier for themselves and all.  If no inmates get hurt in prison it would be all the better.
The article ends with: “Prisoners are required to work 40 hours at an assigned job.  But one inmate chose to remain in his cell instead of reporting to work—a prison offense.  The inmate told the officer he was experiencing auditory hallucinations.  Instead of sending the prisoner to a disciplinary unit, the officer allowed the prisoner to remain in his cell until the hallucinations passed.  A correctional officer confronted a violent prisoner, who was off his medication and began smashing a TV and mirror and threatened other prisoners.  Instead of disciplinary confinement, the officer conferred with mental health workers, who sent the prisoner to the inpatient psychiatric  unit to get him back on his medication.  Prisoners aren’t allowed to loiter or talk to other inmates outside their cells.  But a high-functioning inmate with a bipolar disorder worked a janitorial job that allowed him to talk to other mentally ill inmates.  Through those conversations, he was able to let officers know when inmates were exhibiting symptoms of their mental illness.  That information allowed officers to quickly address potential problems and decrease security risks.  Conversely, Galanek said, if these inmates were sent to the segregation unit (“the hole”) to sit isolated for hours their thoughts could lead to agitation and hallucinations that often bring on prison security problems.  Mentally ill prisoner’s work was important and meaningful because it acted as a coping mechanism to decrease the impact of psychiatric symptoms, he said.  To gain such access to prison culture is highly unusual.  In fact, such ethnographic studies have declined in past 30 years due to perceptions that researchers are seen as security risks within these highly controlled environments.  But as a mental health specialist in Oregon’s Department of Corrections from 1996-2003, Galanek was uniquely prepared to navigate the prison for his research. ‘They trusted me,’ he said. ‘I knew how to move, talk and interact with staff and inmates in the prison.

Brainwave ‘fingerprint’ could detect psychosis

That is the title of this article I am writing about today. “The development of an early-warning test could drastically help those young people most at risk of developing severe mental illness, researchers claim.  A team of psychologists and psychiatrists at the University of Glasgow, Scotland had received L1million of funding from the Medical Research Council (MRC) to begin research on a brainwave ‘fingerprint’ which could be used to help identify young people at risk of developing serious mental illness.  Researchers are currently looking to recruit 100 volunteers aged between 16 and 35 for the project which will measure their brain activity and examine changes in their mental state for a period of up to two years.  According to the researchers, the Youth Mental Health Risk and Resilience Study (YouR-Study) will use Magentoencephalography(MEG). A brain imaging technique unique to the University in Scotland, to examine a specific set of brainwaves know to be involved in cognitive functions.” This is very interesting if they can really be able to find out if you are going to get a mental illness.  That way they can treat you sooner and maybe not have as many negative symptoms down the road and closer to fixing mental illness.
The article goes on to say: “The researchers said that one of the main aims of the project is to develop an early-warning system capable of identifying young people at high risk of developing psychosis before they fully manifest the symptoms, such as hallucinations or delusions.  YouR-Study will be led by Peter Uhlhass of the University of Glasgow’s Institute of neuroscience and Psychology.  ‘The study will be the first of its kind to use MEG to investigate links between neural oscillations and their synchronization, which recent research has shown may well play a role in the development of psychosis,’ Uhlhass said. ‘MEG, which is similar to electroencephalography (EEG) uses very sensitive magnetometers to record magnetic fields produced by electrical currents occurring naturally in the brain, creating a sophisticated map of brain activity,’ he added.  Uhlhass claims that the particular frequencies his research team is looking at play a key role in controlling cognitive and perceptual processes, which are seriously affected in those suffering from psychosis. ‘By identify share characteristics in the brainwaves of those in early stages of risk, we’re hoping to find a specific ‘fingerprint’ which we can use to more easily identify people before they become seriously ill,’ he said.”  I know they can do a lot if they can identify people early.  It opens the door to a lot of research.  It would be nice if this works to help.
The article ends with: “Uhlhass also identified treatment costs as a considerable barrier to those who suffer the effects of psychosis and mental illness. ‘We’re hoping  that closer examination of these brainwaves will help lead to a better outcome for patients and also a reduction in the cost impact that serious mental illness can have on healthcare services,’ Uhlhass said. Uhlhass said that the ‘holy grail’ of this research would be the reliable and accurate diagnosis of a patient making the early-stage transition into psychosis over a period of time. ‘On the basis of the measurement at the baseline, we could [hopefully] then say clearly whether or not someone is going to develop psychosis,’ he said.” If they can predict who would and who would not get mental illness that is great and it would cut down costs. Because everyone would know if they have a mental illness and what can be done to treat it.  Hopefully there will be better treatments.
“In similar news, researchers in Sweden last week made ground on identifying why physical exercise helps protect the brain from stress-induced depression. In that instance researchers revealed that exercise training induces changes in skeletal muscle that can purge the blood of a substance that accumulates during stress, and is harmful to the brain.”

Exercise and Schizophrenia

This article says that exercise benefits physical and  mental health in patients with schizophrenia. “In a study of 63 patients with schizophrenia, Thomas Scheewe (University Medical Center Utrecht, the Netherlands) and co-authors found that 1 or 2 hours of exercise therapy per week significantly reduced positive and negative symptoms, depression, and the need for care, and improved cardiovascular fitness compared with occupational therapy.” I do know that exercise will help you lose or maintain the level of weight a person has.  It is good to learn that it helps with the negative symptoms also.
They also say: “Exercise therapy appears to be an effective add-on-treatment in schizophrenia, they write in Acta Psychiatica Scandinavica.  In total, 31 patients were randomly assigned to undertake 6 months of exercise therapy, which was primarily designed to improve cardiovascular fitness but also included muscle strengthening exercises for variety, and 32 to receive occupational therapy, which comprised creative and recreational activities such as painting, reading, and computer activities.” I have continued doing my walking, although I have not hit the treadmill.  I have no excuse I have to start again, because that is what helps a lot to lose weight changing up to different exercises.
The article goes on to say that: “Moreover, in per protocol analysis, which only included patient in both groups who had a compliance rate of at least 50%, exercise therapy was associated with a significant 20.7% reduction in Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) scores…”That is good news and of course it helps keep depression away.  They also say it helped reduce the need of care.   I know exercise work well, that is why I have to do two types the treadmill and walking.  I want my legs to be able to walk well into old age.  You can also visit us at http://mhcd.org/blog

Almost Alcoholic

This is fourth in a series of blogs about the title of a book.  In last week’s blog we talked about signs two and three.  Today we will finish with signs four and five the last of the signs.  The fourth sign: “You Sometimes Drink in Order to Control Emotional and/or Physical Symptoms.  Clearly, Betsy drank in order to compensate for loneliness. Indeed, almost alcoholics often drink for many reasons that have to do with emotional discomfort such as

·         to relieve stress or “unwind”

·         to drown out grief or anxiety

·         to overcome social shyness

·         to try to overcome insomnia

·         to relieve boredom

·         to control pain or other physical discomfort” (pg. 34)

I tried to drink to overcome shyness, although it did not always turn out right.  I either blacked out or did not remember who I even talked to.  Alcohol it never helped me at all.

The last sign: “You and Your Loved Ones are Suffering as a Result of Your Drinking.  The suffering caused by almost alcoholics drinking is often more subtle than that of a full-blown alcoholism, but it nonetheless exists.  Because the process by which a person becomes an almost alcoholic is so insidious, the suffering is also insidious.  It can be years before the connection between drinking and the suffering is made—if it is ever made.  In every case we’ve discussed so far, however, it is easy to see when viewed in terms of being almost alcoholics—this connection.  And it is not just almost alcoholics who suffer, but their loved ones as well. (pg. 34)  We used to say in jail it was the families who suffered more than us.  The same is true with being almost alcoholic or being an alcoholic.  It is one reason in AA you try to make amends if possible.

The book goes on to say: “These questions are related to the formal diagnostic criteria for alcoholism; they are on the same spectrum—only a bit further away in terms of severity from true alcoholism.  Those who answer yes to these questions may not have yet suffered the more serious consequences of drinking; or if they have, they are not aware of the connection between their drinking and negative consequences.  On the other hand, they have definitely moved beyond normal social drinking. (pg.34)  I did not go out to social drink I had the intention of getting drunk.  I would suffer if I only had one drink.  If I started a night of drinking I would continue to I passed out or there was nothing left to drink.

Premature Death

Last week I wrote about Mental Illness Premature Death. One of the reasons they die early death is because of Metabolic Syndrome. Metabolic syndrome: “is a name for a group of risk factors that occur together and increase the risk for coronary artery disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. Symptoms: Extra weight around your waist (central or abdominal obesity)”. A lot of the medication causes extra weight.
Pharmaceutical companies right now are not putting money into research for new and better medication that does not cause weight gain or even better medication to help with mental illness. I personally gain weight from Moban and older drug. Now that I am on Geodon I am losing weight through walking and exercise. There was another factor that also might have caused my weight gain. That was I quit smoking and yes food did taste better after I stopped. That is also factored in, although the medication played a role in my gaining weight.
I should have started exercising then although they did not put in exercise equipment in my previous place of residence until four years ago. My mental illness is Schizophrenia. I do not have some of the problems that some of my fellow suffers of this disease have. I am highly motivated and have been that way from the beginning of this disease. One of the reasons I read on the web is that I am a paranoid schizophrenic and they seem to have a better recovery rate.
One of the things that I read on the web is that a lot of schizophrenics have negative symptoms. These are symptoms that medication does not take away. Some of the symptoms are lack of motivation. How can you get off disability if you do not even have the motivation to look for a job? A lot do not know how to carry on a conversation with others. Their thoughts get jumbled. Or for some the voices did not stop with the medication and they might be trying to listen to you and the voices are saying something else. These negative symptoms really stop them from having a great life.
They try different remedies to try and stop these negative symptoms with no relief. Some say those remedies work. I can understand I would try anything to relieve those symptoms. Anxiety can’t sleep at night. That one bothered me to till I started working and now I do not have trouble falling asleep. I really feel for these people and just hope someday they will find something to help them.

Dreamland: Is it Schizophrenia

A lot of people diagnosed with schizophrenia are not able to understand they have the disorder because of a part of the brain which gives thought. There is destruction of cognition and emotion, language, thought, perception, a sense of self and hallucinations of normal events, including false beliefs (delusions). There are positive and negative symptoms. Positive symptoms reflect a distortion of normal functions; negative symptoms reflect a loss of normal functions.
Anti-psychotic medications are traditional in the treatment of schizophrenia’s positive symptoms, producing side effects closely to that of negative symptoms which may be; loss of interest, pleasure, sleep disturbance, eating, different mood swings and difficulty in concentrating or with attention. There are as I understand 6 different types of schizophrenia (not listed).
Anti-psychotics can take weeks even months to begin working, “patience” is the key along with hope for a person’s life to become easier. In Recovery patience is emphasized with every consumer or client involved with mental health, “miracles don’t happen overnight”. When you have the right medication the symptoms may or may not go away, yet there are many people who choose to live with the symptoms rather than go through life using medications.
The illness and many of the medications used to treat it can make a person feel tired or slow witted. You will want to sleep more than you think, and it may be wrong to try and to live your once normal life again too soon. Recovering from schizophrenia is recovering from an illness. Have goals for yourself and find a routine that you enjoy. Don't expect too much of yourself while you are recovering in the way of socializing, and know if others are forcing you "get back into the world" – find the time and support you need.
This information is taken from: Schizophrenia
Donald Sammons