Schizophrenia is a rather serious mental illness that poses a danger both to the patient himself and to the people around him. During an uncontrolled attack, a schizophrenic may show aggressive resistance. It is almost impossible for people who do not have specific knowledge and skills to stop it. The disease occurs in various forms. Relapses can be stopped with the help of special therapy, and treatment of schizophrenia at home is only possible using certain auxiliary techniques, which we will discuss below.
What is schizophrenia and how is it treated
In the modern rhythm, no one is immune from schizophrenia. This type of disease is influenced by social, biological and psychological factors. Scientists have put forward prerequisites that increase the risk of developing pathology:
- improper upbringing in childhood;
- hereditary predisposition;
- presence of bad habits;
- disturbances of chemical processes in the brain;
- intrauterine pathologies;
- social and mental factors (constant loneliness, frequent stress, etc.).
Schizophrenia has a number of distinctive features, on the basis of which the diagnosis is made:
- Negative symptoms. They are expressed in a gradual loss of interest in life, the patient becomes withdrawn, apathetic, with a minimum amount of emotions. Severe forms include suicidal thoughts, refusal of personal hygiene and communication with society.
- Positive thoughts. This includes vivid impressions associated with delusions, hallucinations, motor pursuits, delusions of grandeur, etc.
- Disruption of cognitive processes. The patient cannot perceive even basic information; there are difficulties with memory and thinking.
- Mood swings. Suddenly, after depression and stress, a very good mood appears and vice versa.
You can also identify a number of symptoms characteristic of a particular situation:
1. For women:
- manifestations of frequent reflection and delusions of grandeur;
- emerging hallucinations and delusions;
- conflicts caused by divergent social interests.
2. For men:
- loss of interest in society;
- noise and voices in the head;
- persecution mania;
- aggressiveness and inappropriate behavior.
3. In children:
- frequent irritability;
- delusions and aggressive behavior;
- movement disorders.
It is difficult to cure such a disease; one can only achieve stable remission and suppress attacks of schizophrenia. All treatment tactics are based on the following events:
- prescription of medications;
- use of electroconvulsive therapy;
- teaching families how to communicate with a schizophrenic person;
- establishing social contacts and communication with people around you;
- psychotherapeutic assistance;
- surgery (very rare).
Home treatment involves the use of only auxiliary methods that allow the patient to adapt to society, establish relationships with the environment and suppress emerging symptoms. The essence of this help is as follows:
- maintenance therapy after discharge from hospital;
- use of traditional methods;
- adherence to diet and daily routine;
- communication;
- visiting a psychotherapist, including group classes.
In any case, schizophrenia must be treated correctly and be sure to take the prescribed medications. Refusal of medications can provoke a mental exacerbation.
Stages
The disease goes through several stages in its development, each of which is characterized by certain typical manifestations.
- Primordial. During this period, a person’s personal qualities and behavior change. The patient becomes distrustful and overly suspicious.
- Prodromal. The patient withdraws into himself, limits himself as much as possible from others, and stops communicating even with the closest people. At this stage, a person often loses his job due to his absent-mindedness, irresponsibility and lack of concentration.
- First mental episode. During this period, the patient is susceptible to obsessions and delusions, and may see hallucinations.
- Remission. This time period can vary in length from a couple of weeks to several years.
After the completion of the first cycle, a periodic change of the 3rd and 4th stages begins. Gradually, the duration of remissions decreases, and exacerbations become longer and more severe.
When discharged from the hospital: supportive care
In mild forms of the disease, relapse of schizophrenia is stopped in a hospital setting in approximately 3 weeks. Next, the patient is prescribed outpatient treatment for the period of remission. At this moment, all responsibility lies with family members. They must monitor the intake of medications and help in a full return to society. The whole point of maintenance therapy is as follows:
- Taking medications. At the moment, medical practice has excluded the use of heavy psychotropic drugs, which can depress the psyche, make the patient despondent, and contribute to the loss of simple skills.
- Timely visit to your doctor. Going to checkups is very important and simply necessary. The doctor can predict the onset of the next attack and adjust the treatment regimen.
- Visiting a psychotherapist. The specialist helps the patient understand the diagnosis, adapt to society and competently solve emerging problems.
It should be understood that such tactics at home are only possible in the case of an early stage of the disease. Severe forms that pose a danger to society and the patient are treated only in an inpatient setting under constant supervision.
Treatment options
Given the severity and chronic nature of the disease, home remedies are not considered appropriate for treating this condition. Antipsychotics are now widely used because they help reduce the intensity of psychotic symptoms.
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Many doctors prescribe one of these medications, sometimes in combination with other psychiatric medications, in order to maximize benefits for a person with schizophrenia. Drugs for effective treatment of the disease:
- Risperdal;
- Zyprex;
- Seroquel;
- Abilify;
- Invega;
- Lursidon.
These drugs are taken orally. The following list of medications can be taken by injection; sometimes they are more effective when a person cannot be calmed. Injectable medications:
- Aminazine;
- Haloperidol;
- Fluphenazine;
- Alanzapine;
- Aripiprazole;
- Paliperidone.
These medications are a new group of antipsychotic drugs. They work faster. Sometimes side effects such as increased fatigue, drowsiness, dizziness, and increased appetite occur. The patient may gain weight while using these medications.
Less commonly, muscle rigidity, poor coordination of movements, unsteadiness, and uncoordinated muscle twitching occur.
Use of antidepressants and cytokines
Antidepressants are the main treatment for depression that may accompany schizophrenia. Examples of medications that are commonly prescribed for this purpose include serotonergic medications (SSRIs), which affect levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin. This group of medications includes:
- Prozac;
- Zoloft;
- Paxil;
- Celox;
- Lexapro.
The combination of SSRIs with adrenergic drugs affects the disease much faster. For example, Venlafaxine and Duloxetine.
Cytokines are also used in the treatment of schizophrenia. They ensure the transmission of impulses between cells and regulate the processes of regeneration of damaged and defective neurons.
Psychosocial interventions for schizophrenia
With this disease, doctors are obliged to teach the family of a schizophrenic how to behave during the next attack. In addition, it is recommended that patients themselves be brought to special courses on symptom management.
A team of specialists - a psychiatrist, a nurse, a clerk, an employment consultant and other doctors - should help those suffering from schizophrenia in whatever way they can. Typically, such patients become homeless or are hospitalized. Any activity or attention to them is a kind of treatment and maintenance of normal brain functioning.
Providing drug treatment and psychological assistance should become an integral part of therapy, since about 50% of people suffering from schizophrenia abuse narcotic or psychoactive substances.
Cognitive behavioral therapy is a series of interventions aimed at helping the patient change their behavior that interferes with interacting with other people. Treatment can be individual or group.
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Psychosocial therapy
For many citizens, schizophrenia sounds like a death sentence, but you should not despair, because even with such a disease you need to continue to be active. Adaptation of the patient consists of mandatory occupational therapy. To do this, you need to master professional skills or continue occupational therapy in your existing job. Alternately, the patient can engage in a hobby that brings him pleasure. Such social adaptation, interaction with the team and society reduces the risk of relapse of the disease.
Psychotherapy and communication therapy
The patient's first helpers are his relatives. Only they should fully know how to treat schizophrenia, because the frequency of relapses will depend on their vigilance. Relatives, with the help of specialists, acquire knowledge of psychological and social support, persuasion and assistance skills. It is very important here to treat the patient as a full-fledged member of the family and avoid any unnecessary mentions of the diagnosis.
Many clinics have specialized groups where “anonymous” schizophrenics, with the support of a psychiatrist, share their impressions, difficulties of life and their problems. A general solution to such moments helps to find oneself in society and understand internal fears.
Signs of schizophrenia
The development of vivid and characteristic clinical manifestations of schizophrenia is preceded by a premorbid period, which can last several years. During this time interval, loved ones note that the person is behaving somehow differently, has become more aggressive, withdrawn and distrustful.
The height of the disease is characterized by the development of two types of symptoms.
Positive symptoms
- Hallucinations. They can be auditory, when the patient hears voices that control his behavior, threaten him, order him to perform this or that action. Visual hallucinations are also possible, but are extremely rare.
- Rave. This symptom is characterized by the patient’s belief that evil spirits or alien beings are influencing him using magic, hypnosis, or any technical devices that do not exist in reality. Delusions of jealousy (confidence of betrayal), persecution (the patient thinks that he is being watched), self-flagellation (the patient is to blame for all earthly troubles), grandeur (a person may introduce himself as the ruler of the world), dysmorphophobia (confidence in his own external ugliness) may also occur.
- Obsessions and movements.
- Reasoning and lengthy reasoning. Patients are unable to concentrate on one topic, constantly jump from one to another, and often lose the thread of the story.
Negative symptoms
- Emotional disorders and social isolation. Schizophrenics immerse themselves in themselves and completely isolate themselves from others.
- Drift is the inability to make one's own decisions. Patients copy the behavior of others.
- Hypobulia. Patients' needs are reduced, they don't care what they eat, they refuse to take a shower, and their libido disappears.
When is traditional medicine used: recipes
Treatment of schizophrenia with folk remedies allows you to cope with unpleasant symptoms and make the patient’s life easier. The following recipes are applicable in home practice:
- Constant feelings of anxiety can be drowned out with valerian tincture. It is prepared from 2 tablespoons of crushed plant roots, poured with a glass of vodka. After infusing the solution for 10 days, you can take 5 drops up to 3 times a day.
- Hallucinations are treated with comfrey. Pour one teaspoon of herb into a liter of water and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Leave for 45 minutes, strain and drink the broth throughout the day. The course of treatment is 10 days, after which there is a break for 2 weeks and the course is repeated.
- Hysteria and feeling of suffocation are reduced by viburnum bark. You need to take 1 tablespoon of the crushed ingredient and pour a glass of boiling water. After infusing the solution for half an hour, take 1 tablespoon 3 times a day on an empty stomach.
There are also many more recipes related to the normalization of mental activity. The main thing is to consult your doctor before use to avoid complications.
Recommendations for home treatment of the patient
As we have already understood, it is very important for a schizophrenic to provide both moral and physical support. Complex treatment is not just taking medications and communicating with a psychiatrist, but also observing a number of important points to prolong remission and prevent exacerbation. The following rules apply to such therapy:
- Try not to leave the patient alone so that he does not feel lonely and abandoned.
- Take walks in the fresh air more often, but preferably away from noisy places and roads. Quiet streets and parks are preferable.
- Patients are strictly forbidden to drink alcohol, smoke or use drugs.
- Eat a healthy, balanced diet, ensuring the supply of essential vitamins and minerals.
- Maintain a sleep-wake schedule. Sleep is very important for emotional stability. Lack of sleep can lead to irritability and worsening of the disease.
- Ventilate the room more often.
- Avoid stressful situations and tense environments, as they can cause negative emotions in the patient.
- Wear a hat in sunny weather. This will help prevent sunstroke.
- Strong tea, energy drinks and coffee are also prohibited.
- Help the patient find a job or a pleasant hobby. Thus, he will feel needed by society and be in a positive mood.
- Do not wear clothes made of synthetic fabrics; preference should be given to natural materials. This limitation is due to the fact that itching, redness of the skin and, as a result, irritation and an attack of aggression are possible.
In any case, you need to understand that home treatment must be carried out under the supervision of a specialist. It is important to listen to your doctor and follow their recommendations. This concerns the patient’s relatives and friends, because people diagnosed with schizophrenia see the world in their own way, they are surrounded by paranoid ideas and hallucinations. It is much more difficult for such a person to adapt to society, much less communicate with it. This is where the support of a loved one is important, when the patient learns to manage his condition and gradually restores balance.
