Schizophrenia

 

Schizophrenia is a mental illness,where affected individuals are unable to differentiate imagination from reality. Schizophrenics, making up less than 0.33% of the world's population (WHO, 2022)  suffer from psychotic episodes, which range from restlessness and hallucinations(hearing voices,etc), to a near-complete disconnection from reality.

Schizophrenia has proven to be a truly terrifying illness among the general public and even health professionals. While being relatively uncommon compared to other mental illnesses, it remains a significant contributor to the global burden of disease.


Symptoms 

Most of the symptoms of schizophrenia include: 

Behavioral problems like: agitation, self harm, agression, hostility, social isolation, repetitive behavior/ movements

Cognitive: amnesia, thought disorder, belief that thoughts aren't ones own.

There are other symptoms online you can research to know more about this disease. 

Causes

The causes of schizophrenia has not been fully discovered but it is to believe that a combination of genetics,environment, altered brain Chemistryand structure play an important role.


Treatment

At the moment, there isn't a cure for Schizophrenia, but many treatments have been developed to manage the illness, some of which include psychotherapy and antipsychotic medications. Maintenance  of a healthy lifestyle and mental health management also helps manage schizophrenia. 


What Schizophrenia isn't

• Schizophrenia, having a multitude of symptoms, can be misdiagnosed with another similar yet distinct illness most notably Schizoaffective disorder( where affected individuas suffer most of the symptoms of schizophrenia, but also go through extended periods of depression or elevated levels of "happiness" {Mania} ) and Schizoid personality disorder ( where affected individuals suffer from most of the symptoms, but do not have any forms of hallucinations). 

• Schizophrenia isn't a death sentence. With a good healthy lifestyle and proper treatment, schizophrenics can live and function as any other person in society.

•Schizophrenia isn't age-related. Though it prevails in the groups between 20-30 years of age, it is not uncommon for Schizophrenia to be triggered in children as young as 15  and older people around 50 years. However, this also means that schizophrenia does not typically worsen with age. Again, with a proper lifestyle and regular treatments and behavior therapy, Schizophrenics can show improvements with time. 


What you can do

In recent times, there has been a gradual rise in schizophrenia cases across the globe. Some may not be willing to seek professional help, but your actions can go a long way to help them with their battle

• Get educated. Source out information about Schizophrenia, facts to know .

• Listen and be empathetic. 

• Find a support group for them, or a network of friends that can help with encouragement. 

  With time,you can try and encourage them to seek professional help and start treatment. However if the person is not clinically diagnosed with schizophrenia, try not to diagnose yourself, the steps above will still be effective, but it's best to ensure they get help from a certified professional. 

We at Titan Mental Health Organization strive to raise awareness about mental illnesses and the importance of mental health, as well as assisting affected individuals across the globe. If you have any questions or experiences you would like to share, feel free to write that down in the comment section below, or send a mail to us at: titanempire81@gmail.com. 






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