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Mental Health America |
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of Hendricks County |
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SCHIZOPHRENIA |
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Questions and Answers
What is schizophrenia?
Schizophrenia is the most common and disabling of the major mental illnesses. It is a serious biological brain disorder that impairs a person's ability to think clearly and relate to others. Someone with untreated schizophrenia has difficulty distinguishing between what is real and what is imaginary; is often unresponsive or withdrawn; and has difficulty expressing normal emotions in social situations.
How many people suffer from schizophrenia?
One in one hundred individuals (2.5 million Americans) suffers from schizophrenia.
Is schizophrenia the same as spilt personality?
No, schizophrenia is not split personality or multiple personality.
What are the symptoms of schizophrenia?
The signs and symptoms of schizophrenia are different for everyone. They fall into two basic categories - so-called negative and positive symptoms. Negative symptoms refer todeficits in social interactions, thought, speech and motivation. Positive symptoms relate to the addition or certain symptoms such as delusions, disorganized thinking, paranoia and hallucinations. Symptoms of schizophrenia include the following:
What is paranoid schizophrenia?
A person who suffers from paranoid schizophrenia feels extremely suspicious, persecuted, grandiose, or experiences a combination of these emotions.
What causes schizophrenia?
The theories about the cause of schizophrenia are numerous and complex. Several of the more widely accepted theories about the cause of this illness include: genetics (heredity) biology (the imbalance in the brain's chemistry); and/or possible viral infections and immune disorders.
Schizophrenia is not caused by childhood experiences, poor parenting or lack of willpower.
When do most people begin to experience schizophrenia?
The majority of people first experience the symptoms of schizophrenia in their late teens and early twenties. However, children as young as five years old have been diagnosed with the illness. Men arid women are at equal risks for developing schizophrenia
Are people with schizophrenia are dangerous and prone to acts of violence?
The vast majority of individuals who suffer from schizophrenia are neither dangerous nor violent. In fact, people with schizophrenia are more likely to be victims than perpetrators.
What should I do if someone I know shows signs of schizophrenia?
Family members and friends play a crucial role in recognizing and responding to the first symptoms of schizophrenia. Early detection and intervention results in a higher remission rate and better long-term outcomes. If notable changes in a loved one's behavior occur, consult a mental health professional immediately.
What treatments are available for schizophrenia?
A combination of medication and psychosocial services has shown excellent results for people with schizophrenia. There are two major types of medications: conventional antipsychotics are the new generation of antipsychotics introduced in the 1990s called atypical antipsychotics.
Conventional antipsychotics effectively control the positive symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions and confusion. Their serious side effects however led some people to stop taking them. Atypical antipsychotics treat both the positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia with fewer side effects.
In fact, the treatment efficacy for schizophrenia (60 percent) compares favorably to treatment for common physical ailments such as heart disease. However, at least 50 percent of people diagnosed with schizophrenia receive no treatment.
What are the costs of schizophrenia?
Researchers estimate schizophrenia’s total burden on the U.S. economy at between $32.5 billion and $65 billion annually. State and local governments pay the largest share (40 percent) of the nearly $20 billion in direct treatment costs for the illness.
For additional information check out the Schizophrenia Home Page at: http://www.schizophrenia-help.com
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