The Travails of Schizophrenia
The word schizophrenia is from Greek schizein meaning ‘to split’ and phren meaning ‘mind’. In psychiatry it refers to a mental imbalance that is typified by abnormal perceptions and expressions of reality. In other words the patient sees things that are not there and speech is disoriented. As yet schizophrenia cannot be diagnosed by laboratory tests.
A history of schizophrenia shows that the word is of recent coinage – not older than a hundred years. But German Dr. Emile Kraepelin has identified it as a specific disease in 1887. Schizophrenia has been with mankind from early times as noted in documents found in ancient Egypt in the second millennium B.C.
The symptoms are described minutely in the Book of Hearts – it being connected with poison and demons. The Greeks and Romans were aware of this disease but in those days anybody with abnormalities whether physical or mental were bracketed under one category.
The causes for schizophrenia are varied consisting of either genetics and or a combination of environmental factors and perhaps neurobiological reasons. As yet no one organic cause had been located. Schizophrenia should not be confused with the disorder known as split personality.
A family history of schizophrenia is a common cause for the onset of the disease. Schizophrenia is more pronounced in urban areas because of the complexities of life away from nature. Drug and alcohol misuse have also been one of the main causes. Another factor has been abuse or trauma during childhood.
The travails of schizophrenia include problems related to cognition, chronic depression and anxiety. The life expectancy of the sufferer is about 10 to 12 year less than the average. Suicide rate among schizophrenics is fairly high.
The early signs of schizophrenia show that the patient hears and sees unrealistic things – audiovisual disorientation. This leads to disruptions in train of thoughts and disjointed speech. Invariably the sufferer finds himself or herself socially isolated. The activities are different from the norm – the patient becomes mute and withdrawn, apathetic and without any motivation and also may suddenly turn violent. These symptoms must persist for at least a month before the person can be termed as schizophrenic.
The peak years for the beginning of schizophrenia are the late adolescent and early adulthood years. Both the genders are equally prone to it. The patient feels external forces are controlling his or her life or that personal thoughts are being broadcast. Conversations are carried on with imaginary voices and figures.
The treatment of schizophrenia is based on the fact that dopamine activity is strong along the mesolimbic route of the brain in all schizophrenia patients. As such anti- psychotic drugs that are administered suppresses this dopamine activity.
Lately the dosage has been reduced in comparison to previous years and more stress is laid on approaching the problem through social rehabilitation and work culture. But in acute cases, when living with schizophrenia becomes difficult and the patient and its associates are at risk of physical harm, temporary hospitalization becomes necessary to restore the mental health of the affected.
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