In the last post, we saw how:
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Welcome to Medic Vibes, where we discuss mental health disorders and make sense of them. Dr Ebingo Kigigha is a medical doctor (aspiring psychiatrist) and creative person (illustration and music). This has been our routine for three consecutive months. This month will be dedicated to Schizophrenia. In the first month, we discussed Depression, and in the subsequent month, anxiety. We just finished with Bipolar affective disorder. We are done looking at research work done in Nigeria on schizophrenia.
In this post, we are looking at a The last post of the month. To learn more just keep scrolling down. You can also skip to the key point of the post if you which or go to the conclusion to get the summary.
Schizophrenia is derived from two words which mean split and mind when put together but the actual meaning of schizophrenia is scatted thinking which is related to the fact that there is a lot of disorganization in schizophrenia. The whole idea that the patient with schizophrenia has a split mind does more to push wrong ideas about the condition.
In schizophrenia, different symptoms can be seen. When a condition consists of many symptoms like this it is called a syndrome. The symptoms seen in schizophrenia can be classified into positive, negative and cognitive symptoms.
The positive symptoms in schizophrenia do not have a physiologic variant in the way normal heart rate can have a fast heart rate and a low heart rate. The positive symptoms are seen as additional symptoms that are peculiar to those who have psychosis. These psychotic symptoms are hallucination, delusion and disorganized features (disorganized speech and catatonia)
Hallucination: includes seeing, hearing, tasting, and feeling things. The hallucination may also be people that are not there as if they are there. The voices usually tell the person negative things about themselves or that they should harm themselves.
Disorganized Features: This includes disorganized speech and catatonia. Features of disorganized speech include features like word salad where words that have no meaning when put together are used. For example “stick gun rat pear”. In catatonia, the patient can be in an uncomfortable position over a long period or they may resist movement or they may not respond to stimulus.
The negative symptoms are a reduction in normal processes. In schizophrenia, there is a loss of interest in things that are normally interesting to the patient. The patient's emotional responses were also reduced. They hardly show emotions and their expression is blank. The expression doesn't change regardless of what happens in front of them.
The patient can also have alogia which is also known as poverty of speech. They usually reply to questions with one or two words.
One other symptom that is common in schizophrenia is avolition and it is described as the inability to finish tasks because of the lack of motivation. This leads to a person not trying to seek a job or reach out to friends.
Another group of symptoms seen in schizophrenia are cognitive symptoms. These include not being able to remember details, and learning new information. Or understand what people present to them. It is harder to notice these symptoms without performing tests to confirm.
Nobody is sure what causes schizophrenia but what studies have shown is that genes, brain physiology and the environment all add to the causes. There are theories that neurotransmitters like dopamine and glutamate play a role but imagining studies done have been able to visualize some abnormalities when compared to the general population.
Nobody is very sure about the importance of these brain abnormalities but the images indicate that they exist.
Some features can be seen as risk factors like having a family member with schizophrenia, malnutrition during pregnancy or having some viral infections during pregnancy can be seen as risk factors. The use of psychostimulants also has been found to increase the risk of this condition.
The first type of drug that was being used for schizophrenia was the D2 antagonists which were known as first-generation antipsychotics or the typical antipsychotics. They included chlorpromazine and haloperidol.
Then the second-generation antipsychotics came out. These were known as the atypical or novel types of antipsychotics. The most popular of these types is clozapine.
If schizophrenia is not treated, certain issues can arise from this. One of the major problems is suicide and suicidal ideations. Other mental health problems are known to be associated with the condition like depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. Those who suffer from schizophrenia are also known to have financial problems and makeup part of the homeless population. Patients with schizophrenia are also known to have violent tendencies.
No one is sure about how to prevent the condition but the patient who sticks to the treatment that are prescribed do better generally. With more information coming out and early detection being focused on the hope is that case will be caught early and treatment will begin as soon as possible.
