Schizophrenia

<span>Contrary to portrayals of the illness in the media, schizophrenia does not involve a &#8220;split personality.&#8221;<br><br>Symptoms include :<br><br>Delusions (Wrong beliefs that are not real. ex: thinking that someone needs to harm him).<br>Hallucinations (Hearing or seeing things that don&#8217;t exist).<br>Disorganized speech (Partially or completely unrelated answers to questions or saying meaningless words).<br>Disorganized unusual movement (Making childish silly movements or moving excessively for no reason).<br>Negative symptoms (Decrease in certain behavior. ex: Decrease in facial expressions while talking, loss of motivation to do something that he usually enjoys, and social withdrawal).<br>Not caring about hygiene and appearance<br>Depression<br>Anxiety<br>Having Suicidal thoughts<br>Drug or alcohol abuse<br>Over time, symptoms might change in nature and severity, and they can also go through phases of worsening and remission. Some symptoms might always be present.<br><br>Visit a Psychiatrist to be diagnosed and treated properly, If you or one of your family have any of these symptoms</span>

<span>The precise cause of schizophrenia is unknown, but it&#8217;s thought to be related to an imbalance in the brain neurotransmitters, and genetic and environmental factors.<br><br>Risk factors :<br><br>Genetics (Having a family history of schizophrenia increases the risk of developing this condition).<br>Environment (Childhood trauma which includes child abuse, and immigration).<br>Pregnancy and birth circumstances (Maternal infections, intrauterine growth restriction, and nutritional deficiencies).<br>Diagnostics</span>

<span>Schizophrenia diagnosis depends on the symptoms, medical history, and mental evaluation by a psychiatrist as no specific laboratory tests or imaging can diagnose this condition, but they may be used just to exclude other conditions.<br></span>

<span>Schizophrenia requires lifelong treatment even if symptoms disappeared. Antipsychotic drugs are the cornerstone for controlling and treating the symptoms.<br><br>Medications :<br><br>Medications can be used as a single agent or in combination.<br><br>Second-generation antipsychotic drugs (ex : Aripiprazole, Clozapine, Quetapine, Olanzapine, Risperidone).<br>First-generation antipsychotic drugs (ex : Chlorpromazine, Haloperidol, Fluphenazine).<br>Psychotherapy : To help patients to cope with their condition. Drama and art therapy may be used to aid in improving the negative symptoms of the disease and preventing relapse.</span>