Managemnet and treatment of schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a mental condition or illness that occurs in people from all cultures and from all works of life. The disorder is characterized by an array of diverse symptoms, including oddities in perception, thinking, action, sense of self and manner in relating to others. The hallmark of the disorder however is the significant loss of contact with reality.

Before the 1950s the prognosis for schizophrenia was rather bleak because there were very few treatment options. Treatment was mainly based in institutionalizing the patient in overcrowded hospitals and treated with electroconvulsive “shock” therapy. Dramatic improvement came in the mid 1950’s with the introduction of “anti-psychotic” drugs.

Currently there are two phases of schizophrenia treatment and recovery. One phase addresses severe symptoms of an acute psychotic episode and the other focuses on improving functioning and preventing relapse during the maintenance or recovery phase of illness.

Acute Phase: The aim of treatment in the acute phase is to get the psychotic symptoms under control so the patient is not in danger to self or to others. Hospitalization may be required during this time. At this time medication is the primary treatment.

Maintenance Phase: During the maintenance phase of treatment, the goal is to sustain symptom remission or control, reduce the risk of relapse and hospitalization, and teach skills for daily living. Maintenance treatment typically involves medication, supportive therapy, family education and counseling, vocational and social counseling.

Medication:

The medications used in the treatment of schizophrenia are known as antipsychotic (neuroleptic drugs). These medications do not provide a cure but rather work by reducing the psychotic symptoms of the illness. They are thought to work by changing the balance or activity of chemical that transmit message in the brain (neurotransmitters).

The antipsychotic medications are particularly effective at controlling the positive symptoms of schizophrenia. The positive symptoms include hallucination, delusions, paranoia, and disordered thinking. These drugs are however less helpful in treating the negative symptoms such as social withdrawal, lack of motivation and lack of emotional expressiveness.

The two main groups of medications used for treatment of schizophrenia are the older or “typical” antipsychotic medications and the newer “Atypical” antipsychotic medications.

Read more at: http://www.bukisa.com/articles/351487_treatment-of-schizophrenia