The symptoms of schizophrenia vary from person to person, and are often linked to other problems, such as substance abuse. Many patients have trouble telling apart what is real and what they make out as reality. Mental health experts divide the symptoms into several categories, including what doctor’s call, positive symptoms. They include distorted beliefs or behaviors such as hallucinations. Doctors say these symptoms usually respond well to treatment. Negative symptoms are noticeable by greatly reduced speech,
energy and body language. Patients may possibly have unresponsive facial features and make poor eye contact. These symptoms are harder, but not impossible to treat. The final category includes disorganized symptoms. This causes the victims to be confused and have disorganized speech, irregular behavior and a short attention span. Doctors say these symptoms of schizophrenia have to be the toughest to treat and sometimes do not fully go away (Salvatore). The disorder can be dangerous for some, mostly when symptoms of paranoia combine with the other symptoms of schizophrenia. In fact, doctors say paranoid schizophrenics are infamous for stopping the treatments which help control their symptoms themselves (“What is Schizophrenia” 1).
New medications are being developed in helping to treat schizophrenia, but complete treatment requires psychotherapy along with social and professional therapy (Salvatore). There are many reasons why people with schizophrenia may not remain on treatment. Patients may not believe that they are sick and may deny the need for medication, or they may have such disorganized thinking that they cannot remember to take their daily doses. Family and friends may not understand schizophrenia and may improperly advise the person to stop treatment when they are feeling better. Fortunately, there are many strategies that patients, doctors, and families can use to improve adherence and avoid worsening the illness. Some antipsychotic medications used for treatment, include haloperidol, fluphenazine, perphenazine. A major goal of current research on treatments for schizophrenia is to develop a wider variety of long acting antipsychotic medicines, especially the newer agents with milder side effects, which can be delivered through injection. Medication calendars or pill boxes labeled with the days of the week can help patients and caregivers know when medications have or have not been taken. Using electronic timers that beep when medications should be taken can help patients remember and stick to their dosing schedule. In addition, through a variety of other methods of monitoring, doctors can identify when pill taking is a problem for their patients and can work with them to make things easier. It is important to help motivate patients to continue taking their medications properly (NIMH).
Schizophrenia is a very complex disease. The search for the exact causes and a cure for schizophrenia have been unsuccessful. As more is learned about the brain and genetics, the opportunity for better understanding of schizophrenia is now here. Schizophrenia has a disturbing impact on those who suffer from it, and on their families and friends. (Salvatore).
