There are many mental disorders whose root cause is the psyche of the person, particularly traumas from early childhood. But schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder caused by a disabling brain illness. About one percent of Americans are afflicted with this problem at any given time. It does not make much difference with sex and age, but becomes most apparent when people reach their teens.
Though it is clear that a brain disorder is the root cause, there is no concluding proof as to exactly what is the problem. There is much encouraging research to pin down the problem. The National Institute of Mental Health suggests that the most probable cause could be linked to faulty neuron connections during the development of the child in the womb. It lies dormant until puberty, and the effect may become visible afterwards. Persons with schizophrenia lose touch with the real world. Their perception of people and events starts divorcing from the reality. Their hallucinations, delusions and the strange voices that they hear are very real to them. They delude themselves into believing that they are the victims of cheating, persecution or conspiracy. Generally they lose the capacity for logically carrying out their thought process, particularly when a lot of thoughts crowd in the brain. Their emotions are rather subdued, and expressions mostly blank. Contrary to popular thinking, the schizophrenia is no more violent than a normal person. But the tendency for suicide is higher with schizophrenia.
Not knowing the exact cause or the mechanism of schizophrenia, the treatment is mainly symptomatic. Based on clinical experience, a whole series of anti-psychotic medications are available to the physician. The drugs effectively reduce and sometimes eliminate the symptoms. But there is no complete cure. Anti-depression, anti-anxiety and anti-convulsive drugs have also proved effective. In a small number of acute schizophrenia patients Electro-Convulsive Therapy (ECT) has proved very effective.
Though this is a brain disease and not a mental disorder, family support, social support and, more importantly, psychotherapy are other factors that can help the patient enormously. A lot of research has gone into getting to the root cause of the problem but a lot more still needs to be done. The efforts include genetic, brain and epidemiological studies.
Related Articles of Interest :
-
Schizophrenia Treatments
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
No Comments
Schizophrenia is a disease of the brain, the cause of which is not known. The exact problem in the brain is only partially understood. In this condition a physical ailment creates a serious mental problem. The treatment is aimed at reducing the symptoms and managing...
-
Types of Schizophrenia
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
No Comments
Schizophrenia is a disease of the brain but it causes many mental problems. The root cause of this disease is not known but bad genes seem to be a hot favorite. It affects both the sexes. Though there are some cases of children being affected,...
-
Symptoms of Schizophrenia
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
No Comments
Schizophrenia’s root cause is still not clear. It does have a link with some part of the brain. It is not a psychiatric disorder but a physical one, affecting the mind and the personality of the person affected. The treatment is mostly to alleviate the...
-
Bipolar Disorder Treatment
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
No Comments
Most people with bipolar disorder can be helped – but a psychiatrist or psychologist should first diagnose the disorder. Failure to diagnose and treat this disorder can prove fatal. Sometimes undiagnosed bipolar disorder patient end up in a psychiatric hospital or residential treatment centers and...
-
Mental Health
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
No Comments
It would appear that at some point after World War I, real mental health became something of a luxury. The absence of any real mental disease like schizophrenia or dementia certainly is not an indicator of complete mental health any longer. The boom in knowledge...
-
Mental Health Services
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
No Comments
It is an established fact that almost two-thirds of all people afflicted with some kind of mental dysfunction do not seek treatment. This is confirmed by the WHO’s Global Burden of Disease study. The reasons for that people do not seek treatment vary, but some...
-
Bipolar Disorder
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
No Comments
From high to low, from euphoria to depression, from recklessness to listlessness — all symptoms associated with bipolar disorders, — an acute and disabling mental illness. Bipolar disorders are also known as manic-depressions or manic-depressive illnesses. Manic behavior is one extreme of this disorder and...
-
Anti-Aging Research
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
No Comments
Anti aging research provides a lot of information on the process of anti aging and the medications involved. The main goal of this research is the development of effective anti aging medicines and treatments. Many anti aging sprays, capsules, pills, tablets and therapies are the...
-
ADHD Help
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
No Comments
ADHD is an acronym that stands from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. This disorder is more common in males. It is generally diagnosed by the age of seven and is usually accompanied by a learning disability. There has been a great debate when it comes to...
-
Cause of Social Anxiety Disorder
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
No Comments
There is no clear mandate on the exact cause of social anxiety disorder. There are many assumptions about it, which include a combination of a person’s genetic make up, early childhood and adolescent experiences. It could be caused by a person’s genetic predisposition. And just...