Schizophrenia

Tiffany Becker

Denise Keown

Heather Baltz

Overview of Schizophrenia

• What is schizophrenia?

• Schizophrenia behaviors

• Does schizophrenia affect the brain?

• What causes schizophrenia?

• Who gets schizophrenia?

• Early Onset Schizophrenia

• Schizophrenia Facts

What is Schizophrenia?

• It is a chronic, severe, and disabling brain disease

• It affects a person’s ability to “think straight”

• It maybe one disorder, or it may be many disorders

• Thoughts of a schizophrenic may come and go rapidly

• The severity of the symptoms and long-lasting, chronic pattern of schizophrenia often cause a high degree of disability

Schizophrenia Behaviors

• A schizophrenic person may exhibit very different kinds of behaviors at different times

• People with it often suffer with terrifying symptoms

• Just as normal individuals view the word from their own perspectives, schizophrenic people have their own perceptions of reality

Does Schizophrenia affect the brain?

Schizophrenia can affect the way your brain receives information in several ways.

-Your brain receives an overload of information

-You become more sensitive to stimuli around you

-Your brain receives information that is not accurate

-Your brain may store information incorrectly

What causes schizophrenia?

• There is no known cause of it• No specific gene has been found• No biomedical defect has been proven

responsible• Scientist do not yet understand all the factors

necessary to produce it• It runs in families• Children of a parent with it have a 10% chance

of developing it, by comparison to the risk of the general population having a 1% chance

• Studies indicate it has some heredity basis

Who gets schizophrenia?

• Nearly 3 million Americans, approx. 1%, will develop it during their lives

• It affects men and women with equal frequency

• Most men start to see signs in their teen or twenties

• Most women start to see signs in their twenties or early thirties

Continued

• Children under the age of 13 very rarely will develop it, but it is possible for children as young as 6

• It is found all over the world

Early Onset Schizophrenia

• The term early onset is used when children develop it before adolescence

• Early onset affects about 1 in 40,000 children, compared to 1 in 100 adults

• Children with early onset experience difficulty in managing everyday life and have hallucinations, delusions, social withdrawal, flattened emotions, increased risk of suicide, and loss of social and personal care skills

Schizophrenia Facts

• It is not split personality• Individuals with it are not violent, more

typically they prefer to withdrawal and be left alone

• Individuals with it have a higher rate of suicide than the general population, often prediction is difficult

• Not everyone who acts paranoid or distrustful has schizophrenia

Continued

• Many people with it sleep too little, or too much• Where are people with schizophrenia?

-6% homeless and living in shelters-6% live in jails or prisons-5-6% live in hospitals-10% live in nursing homes-20% live in supervised housing-25% live with a family member-28% live independently

Symptoms of schizophrenia

• Hallucinations- Person senses things that don’t really exist

• Delusions- Personal belief that has no basis on reality

• Disorganized Speech- Occurs when the person’s speech becomes hard to follow

“Negative Symptoms”

• Face shows no expression

• When talking, the person does not give much information

• Person has problems being motivated to anything

• Extremely confused, disorganized, or withdrawn behavior

Types of Schizophrenia

• Paranoid schizophrenia

• Disorganized schizophrenia

• Catatonic schizophrenia

• Undifferentiated schizophrenia

• Residual schizophrenia

Types of Schizophrenia

• Paranoid Schizophrenia– Most common– May have frightening thoughts and hear

threatening voices– Usually develops later in life

Symptoms

• Confusion

• Withdrawal

• Anger

• Hallucinations and delusions

Disorganized Schizophrenia

• Also know as hebephrenic

• Rare type

• Unpredictable behaviors

• Inappropriate reactions to a situation

Catatonic Schizophrenia

• Very rare type

• Statue like characteristics

• Followed by periods of intense activity

Undifferentiated Schizophrenia

• Symptoms do not fit any category

• Symptoms of many types

Residual Schizophrenia

• No symptoms, but signs of illness still exist

Lifestyle Changes

• Have regular appointments with doctor or case manager

• Be very cautious about what you put in your body

• Learn and practice good stress management techniques

• Do what is necessary to be as well as you can

Lifestyle continued

• Symptom monitor

How is it diagnosed?

• Present symptoms

• Medical history

• Use of substances such as alcohol, cocaine, heroine, or other street drugs

• Response to medications that treat schizophrenia

What else can it be?

• Borderline Schizophrenia

• Schizoaffective Disorder

• Bipolar Disorder/Manic Depression

• Personality Disorder

• Dual Diagnosis

• Childhood Mental Illness

Books for dealing with schizophrenia

• Coping with Schizophrenia: A Guide for Families by Kim Tornval Mueser

• I Am Not Sick, I Don’t Need Help! By Xavier Amador, Anna Lica Johanson (contributor)

Treatment Options

• Old “ Typical” Antipsychotics

• New “Atypical” Antipsychotics

• Antipsychotic Injections

• Talking Treatments/Education/Support Groups

Treatment Facts

• Antipsychotics also called neurotics

• Medication is used to treat symptoms

• Medicines work in 3 ways and serve as a foundation

• May take 2-3 weeks to notice the benefits of medication

• Medication and other changes necessary for children/teens

Continued

• Medication misconceptions- a “chemical straightjacket”

• Why would an individual with schizophrenia not want to take medicines?

Old “Atypical” Antipsychotics

• Haldol

• Mellaril

• Thorazine- first drug produced

• Effective in 50-60% of people

• If continued, reduces relapse rates for at least 2 years

Continued

• Side effects: drowsiness, restlessness, dry mouth, blurred vision, sedation, weight gain, epileptic fits, rapid heart beat, constipation, movement disorders.

• Movement Disorders: Tardire Dyskinesia (15-20% of patients who have taken medicines for many years)

New “Atypical” Antipsychotics

• Number of meds has greatly increased since the 1990’s

• Clozapine

• Risperdol

• Seroquel

• Zyprexa

• Side Effects- Similar to those of old antipsychotics without the TD.

Continued

• Clozapine side effects also agranulocytosis (loss of white blood cells that fight infection. Usually the last med prescribed for those that aren’t responding to treatment.

Anitpsychotic Injections

• Haldol

• Prolixin

• Trilafon

• Injectable preparation of typical antipsychotic drugs

• Used as maintenance treatment in chronic schizophrenia, to ensure compliance and reduce relapse

Talking Treatment/Ed./Support Groups

• Medications don’t relieve the behavioral symptoms of schizophrenia

• Inpatient care and residential placement

• Case management available in most states

• Regular contact with psychiatrist for medicine reviews is necessary

Continued

• Counseling

• Education

• Therapeutic Recreation

• Rehabilitation

• Support Groups

Most common reason for relapse

• Stop taking medication

• Use of alcohol or street drugs

Case Study