Schizophrenia is a severe, chronic psychotic disorder that usually begins before the age of 45 and affects both men and women and with the same frequency.
The main features of the disease include delusions, hallucinations, disorder, leveling of emotion and abnormal behaviors. However, each one of them cannot prescribe diagnosis on their own, because they may be symptoms of other disorders or conditions.
Symptoms may be either persistent or episodic, depending on each individual case, and their manifestation and permanence depends to a large extent on both the family and the social backgrounds where they appear, as well as on their therapeutic management by the patient and his / her environment.
Due to the variability of the occurrence and manifestation of symptoms, the lack of pathognomonic features and their change over time, the diagnosis of schizophrenia is done carefully and not immediately.
The diagnosis is made after careful psychiatric assessment and follow-up, including good patient history, both from the patient and the family, acquaintances and friends.
Differential diagnosis of schizophrenia involves numerous psychiatric and organic disorders such as drug intoxication and substance or drug withdrawal syndromes as well as general medical illnesses that cause delirium and can also lead to psychotic disorders - especially thought and behavior. The precursor phase of schizophrenia can begin years before its full-onset syndrome.
Depending on age and mode of work, patients may experience poor performance at school or at work, deterioration in hygiene and appearance, decreased emotional relationships with others, and / or behavior that would be atypical or strange for the individual in the past.
According to the American Psychiatric Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Psychiatric Disorders (DSM-IV), the diagnosis of schizophrenia implies presence for more than one month of at least two or more symptoms such as:
- Paradoxical ideas (strange or absurd false beliefs, often having paranoid, grandiose, persecutive or religious content, misinterpretations of normal perceptions over others).
- Hallucinations (acoustic, visual or tactile) Often include first-person voices that speak, induce, yell or give commands or voices that comment on the actions or character of the patient.
- Disruptive speech (smooth, inconsistent, talkative speech, ideas or neologisms - new word creation).
- Disorganized or sedentary behavior (wandering without purpose etc.).
- Negative symptoms (speech poverty, emotional and / or social withdrawal).
Social and professional burden at least in one area such as
- Work,
- interpersonal relationships
- Self-care
For the diagnosis of schizophrenia, it is important to exclude schizoaffective disorder, mood disorder, diffuse developmental disorder and other disorders from the use of substances and other bodily diseases.
Therapeutic Approach
The treatment of schizophrenia requires an approach of all the parameters that can help reduce symptoms and rehabilitate the patient. (Pharmaceuticals, habitation, care, rehabilitation, etc.).
The therapeutic intervention includes pharmaceutical treatment, mainly with antipsychotic drugs, as well as treatment of other disorders that may coexist (sleep, mood, etc.). Patient’s psychotherapy and psycho-education of family members are of great importance.
In cases where medication does not produce the expected results, particularly where there is intense suicidal ideation and catatonia, electroconvulsive therapy is also applied (ECT). All the above are offered at the Veresies Clinic
All Programs of “Veresies” Clinic are approved and supervised by the Cyprus National Addictions Authority (CNAA).
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