Treating Schizophrenia in Port Matilda, PA
Schizophrenia is often misrepresented in the media, and these misrepresentations perpetuate fear. The person with schizophrenia is often depicted as paranoid, violent, and completely out of touch with reality. The truth is that even though schizophrenia is a complex mental health disorder that requires professional treatment, it is treatable. In fact, with proper treatment, many people with schizophrenia are able to manage their symptoms and lead fulfilling, meaningful lives at work and at home.
If you or someone you love has schizophrenia and needs help getting the illness under control, reach out to our team at St. Joseph Institute near State College, PA.
What is Schizophrenia?
Schizophrenia is a severe mental health disorder characterized by a profound disruption in an individual’s thoughts, emotions, and perceptions of reality. People with schizophrenia often struggle with distinguishing between what is real and what is not, leading to significant challenges in everyday life.
However, most people with schizophrenia will not experience symptoms year-round. Some people experience only one or two schizophrenic episodes in their lifetime, while others may experience multiple episodes. Episodes can last days, weeks, or (in rare cases) months.
What is an “episode”? Generally, schizophrenia manifests as psychotic episodes in which the person experiences some loss of contact with reality. Let’s take a closer look at the symptoms of a schizophrenic episode.
What are the Symptoms of Schizophrenia?
Schizophrenia is characterized by a range of symptoms that affect thoughts, behaviors, and emotions and impair the person’s ability to function. Symptoms include:
- Hallucinations: False sensory perceptions (auditory and visual are the most common). People experiencing an auditory hallucination may hear voices that others do not.
- Delusions: These include false beliefs that are resistant to reasoning or contrary evidence, often involving beliefs of being persecuted, talked about, or spied on. The person may think they have exceptional ability or fame, that someone is in love with them, or that a major catastrophe is imminent.
- Thought Disorders: Disorganized thinking, as evidenced by fragmented or illogical thoughts. This can affect speech, making communication difficult. The person may string together unrelated or meaningless words, for example.
- Reduced Ability to Function: This can include a number of behaviors, such as reduced emotional expression and responsiveness, poor hygiene, social withdrawal, inability to experience pleasure, and difficulty concentrating, remembering, and problem-solving.
How is Schizophrenia Diagnosed?
There is no single test to determine if a person has schizophrenia. However, healthcare providers may run several tests to rule out medical causes for the symptoms. These might include an MRI, blood tests, urine tests, a spinal tap, and an EEG (electroencephalogram).
Generally, a doctor makes a diagnosis of schizophrenia based on information they gather from your personal and family history, the symptoms you report, and your behavior. For a diagnosis of schizophrenia, a person must have at least two of the symptoms listed above for at least one month, and those symptoms must impact the person’s ability to function at work or in relationships.
What Causes Schizophrenia?
The exact cause of schizophrenia is not fully understood, but, according to the Cleveland Clinic, experts point to three main causes:
- Chemical imbalances in the brain that affect cell-to-cell communication
- Prenatal brain development problems
- Loss of connections between different areas of the brain
In addition, genetic and environmental factors, including stress, trauma, and substance use, can heighten the risk of a person developing schizophrenia if they are predisposed to the illness.
When someone has schizophrenia as well as a substance use disorder, they are considered to have a co-occurring disorder or dual diagnosis. Treatment for both disorders simultaneously yields the best results. Nearly 50% of people with schizophrenia also have a chemical dependence on drugs or alcohol, according to the National Institutes of Health.
How is Schizophrenia Treated?
Managing schizophrenia typically involves a combination of medication, psychotherapy, and support services.
- Antipsychotic medications: These target symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions. Newer atypical antipsychotics may have fewer side effects.
- Psychotherapy: Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) helps individuals challenge and change distorted thought patterns and develop coping strategies for symptoms that don’t respond to medication.
- Psychosocial interventions: Peer support groups help people with schizophrenia develop social skills and gain recovery support from others. Interventions like Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) provide individualized services directly to people with schizophrenia to help them solve the challenges of daily life, address problems, and commit to taking their medications.
- Family therapy: This involves educating and supporting family members, fostering a supportive environment.
When someone has a dual diagnosis of schizophrenia and a substance use disorder, treatment will likely begin with medical detox to break the body’s dependence on the substance. After detox, residential treatment will likely be recommended. This immerses the client in a healing, drug-free environment where they can engage in individual, group, and family therapy as well as learn relapse prevention skills and benefit from holistic therapies.
A Word about Stigma
As mentioned above, schizophrenia is often stigmatized as an illness that makes people “crazy,” “strange,” or violent. In fact, statistically, people with schizophrenia are less likely to commit violent acts than those who do not have the condition–and more likely to be victims of violence than are members of the general population. These negative stereotypes about people with schizophrenia make it even more difficult for them to seek treatment and connections with others. At St. Joseph Institute, we believe that education is the most important tool in combating stigma and encouraging people to reach out for help. A big part of our mental health program includes educating clients and their families about the illness and encouraging them to stand up to stigmatizing language and attitudes in their communities.
Help for Schizophrenia & Dual Diagnosis near State College, PA
Schizophrenia is a complex mental health disorder, but it is not something to fear. Early diagnosis and a comprehensive treatment approach can help individuals with schizophrenia lead fulfilling lives. If you or someone you know is exhibiting symptoms of schizophrenia, contact our admissions team at St. Joseph Institute. We provide compassionate, respectful care to all of our clients.
