Chennai: An individual trying to harm himself, or a person who believes that all the people around them are talking to them or someone is following or monitoring their activities despite no evidence to prove it.
In a few cases, an individual thinks that they have been sent on a special mission to Earth, while others feel like aliens or satellites are controlling them. As these conditions are illogical, people with such condition are usually thought to be mentally ill, but all these symptoms are of a mental condition called schizophrenia.
Schizophrenia, which is a mental condition that affects an individual's ability to think, feels or behaves. These symptoms only lead to stigmatization of those suffering from the condition, and people in a developing country like India usually attribute all these symptoms to black magic.
Kin of people with such condition go to faith healers for remedy which might ultimately prove detrimental because the delay is initiating treatment will worsen the condition even further and also the recovery. On World Schizophrenia Day, medicos stress that though there is no cure available for the Schizophrenia, the need to bring awareness on the disorder and available safer treatments for the disorder.
“Schizophrenia is a mental illness characterized by disorganized thinking, disorganized behavior, hallucinations, delusions (false beliefs). People with this condition can have auditory hallucinations like as if someone is talking to them or giving commands to them or giving a commentary on their activities or at times people can also hear voices which are discussing about the person among themselves. These are some symptoms that are characteristic of this disorder,” says Dr Vivian Kapil, consultant psychiatrist, Sri Ramachandra Medical Centre.
Schizophrenia occurs due to chemical imbalance in the brain predominant being the chemical called dopamine. Genetic factors, environmental factors can also make the individual vulnerable.
“Treatment of this condition is mainly through antipsychotic medications that help in controlling the hallucinations and false beliefs (delusions) of people suffering with the illness. Once these symptoms are controlled, people can be made to engage in rehabilitation measures like vocational rehabilitation and cognitive remediation therapy to improve their condition,” added Dr Vivian.
The discovery of anti-psychotics and other treatments recently has really improved the quality of life of people suffering from this disorder. People with schizophrenia are unable to understand or realize that they have an illness and kin needs to seek the medical help, say medicos.
“Around 1 per cent of the population suffers this condition, but the patients are usually abandoned. Anti-psychotics and anti-tremor medications aid the patients, while counseling can help with rehabilitation of the person suffering from the condition. Several cognitive therapies, behaviour therapies, family and psychotherapies can improve the mental condition of people with Schizophrenia,” says clinical psychologist Dr V Raman.
What are Early Warning Signs of Schizophrenia?
The signs of schizophrenia are different for everyone. Symptoms may develop slowly over months or years, or may appear very abruptly. The disease may come and go in cycles of relapse and remission.
