Blogging on Matters Close to my Heart at HART

I`m glad to be here at Battling Heart and Stroke. And I`m here for professional as well as for personal reasons.

Professionally, I`ve worked on different writing projects on cardiovascular disorders, ranging from clinical and regulatory documents to web and print articles for patients and consumers. I definitely find this field of medicine pretty interesting.

I`m also quite involved with cardiovascular issues on a personal level. I had a heart condition myself way back as a consequence of Graves` disease and hyperthyroidism. I had to go through the whole battery of tests – from ultrasound to 48-hour continuous ECG. In the end it wasn`t anything serious and the problems resolved with treatments but the experience was enough to make me take heart and stroke issues seriously.

One of my sons was recently diagnosed as having a “heart murmur” that needs to be monitored and checked regularly. Our next check up is today.

I also have close friends and relatives who are battling or have been battling against health problems related to the heart and vascular system, be it atherosclerosis, diabetes, hypertension, and obesity.

In other words, cardiovascular issues are matters close to my heart.

Here is what I am planning for this blog in the coming weeks and months (hopefully years):

• “Know your body” series will give some short overviews on the functioning of your heart and how it interacts with other organs in your body.

• “Know your drugs” and “Know your treatments” series will discuss the medications and treatments most commonly prescribed for heart and stroke patients.

• “Understanding your tests” series will help you understand the commonly used diagnostic tests in cardiovascular medicine.

• A series on “The latest on …” will give you the recent updates on medical treatments and innovations.

• “Heart(y) celebrities” will report on your favorite celebrities who may themselves be battling heart and stroke or are highly active in supporting pro-heart activities and organizations.

• Most important, this blog will concentrate strongly on the latest updates on preventive measures, be it on nutrition, exercise or lifestyle change.

• Occasionally I will be reviewing a lay book or a film that is related to heart and stroke.

• Of course I will be keeping my eyes and ears open for other any news and views that may be relevant to this blog and interesting to the readers.

• And finally, I will be providing resource materials twice a month that would include links to useful sites.

If you have any suggestions about topics that should be covered and discussed in this blog, please speak out. Remember, we are all in this together. Hope to see you here on May 16th.

               

Schizophrenia - Causes, Symptoms and Treatment Methods

By Juliet Cohen

Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe, and disabling brain disorder that has been recognized throughout recorded history. The first signs of schizophrenia typically emerge in the teenage years or early twenties. It is a form of psychosis, which is an impairment of thinking in which the interpretation of reality is abnormal. It is uncommon in children and is hard to recognize in its early phases. The term schizophrenia literally means split mind; however, many people still believe incorrectly that the condition causes a split personality (which is an uncommon problem involving dissociation). The cause of schizophrenia is still unclear. People with schizophrenia may hear voices other people don’t hear or they may believe that others are reading their minds, controlling their thoughts, or plotting to harm them. Certain psychotic disorders such as bipolar disorder in a manic phase and delusive disorder share some of the positive symptoms of schizophrenia but can have distinctly different courses and prognosis.

Schizophrenia can be caused by schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, drug abuse and other factors. It is not caused by childhood experiences, poor parenting or lack of willpower, nor are the symptoms identical for each person. The behavior of children with schizophrenia may change slowly over time. It affects approximately one percent of the world’s population, making it the most common psychosis. Schizophrenia and other mental health disorders have fairly strict criteria for diagnosis. Time of onset as well as length and characteristics of symptoms are all factors. Available treatments can relieve many of the disorder’s symptoms, but most people who have schizophrenia must cope with some residual symptoms as long as they live. A person with schizophrenia does not have a “split personality,” and almost all people with schizophrenia are not dangerous or violent towards others when they are receiving treatment.

Causes of Schizophrenia

The common causes and risk factor’s of Schizophrenia include the following:

The exect causes of schizophrenia are not known.

Genetic factors.

Chemical or subtle structural abnormalities in the brain.

Biological and environmental factors.

A Family history of Schizophrenia.

Psychological and social factors.

Symptoms of Schizophrenia

Some sign and symptoms related to Schizophrenia are as follows:

Loss of appetite.

The sense of being controlled by outside forces.

Delusions.

Incoherence (not understandable)

Regressive behavior.

Diminishment of the self.

Inability to take care of personal needs.

Violence.

Argumentativeness.

Lack of pleasure in everyday life.

Treatment of Schizophrenia

Here is list of the methods for treating Schizophrenia:

People who experience acute symptoms of schizophrenia may require intensive treatment including hospitalization.

Antipsychotic or neuroleptic medications (such as clozapine, risperidone, olanzapine, quetiapine, ziprasidone and aripiprazole) work by changing the balances of chemicals in the brain and are used to control the symptoms of the illness.

Supportive and problem-focused forms of psychotherapy may be helpful for many individuals.

If people with schizophrenia become depressed, it may be necessary to add an antidepressant to their drug regimen.

Individual therapy: Cognitive therapy involves a therapist helping you learn ways of coping with stressful thoughts and situations to reduce your risk of a relapse.

Patients who lack family and social support may be helped by intensive case management programs that emphasize active outreach and linkage to a range of community support services.

Juliet Cohen writes articles for diseases cure and health care information. She also writes articles on skin diseases.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com/?expert=Juliet_Cohen

               

Misunderstandings About Depression

By Julie Wellsworth

“ They canceled ‘Wedding Belles.’ Boy, am I depressed.”

“The price of gas is really depressing me.”

“I’m turning 40 next month. What a depressing thought.”

Go ahead and add your own cry of pain to the list, and then stop and ask why, if you are truly clinically depressed, you were watching a TV series as light an frothy as “Wedding Belles”, or driving around trying to save $.02 per gallon, or were even able to think as far ahead as next month.

The words “depressed” and “depression” are undoubtedly two of the most carelessly used in the English language. They are tossed about like bowling pins at a juggling competition, by those who understand very little about depression. Perhaps one reason that the facts about depression are so poorly misunderstood is that those who think they might be suffering from it are afraid of being stigmatized as whiners and complainers. So they neither talk to anyone about depression nor seek treatment for it.

Depression Vs. The Blues

True depression can surface in many ways, and have many underlying factors, but all diagnosed cases of clinical depression have one thing in common–their duration. Depression is not the same as having the blues for a few weeks when a friend moves away or beating up on yourself because someone else got the promotion you were after. It’s perfectly natural, and even healthy, to have negative reactions to those kinds of experiences, but if you can continue on with your daily life and feel good about other things, you are not depressed.

The most significant things about depression is that it lasts for at least three months, and even if the sufferer is able to overcome one bout, others a certain to occur. Those who are able to talk about depression with a medical professional will find that their emotional paralysis and inability to take any interest in their lives, or even-self loathing, are all classic symptoms and sure indications that they are clinically depressed.

Another thing about depression is that, if left untreated, it can cause the victim’s emotional and even physical health to deteriorate dangerously. Depression normally begins as the”blahs”, when someone may just feel mentally fuzzy and not have much physical energy. At this stage a person who does not know much about depression may thing he or she is coming down with a cold or the flu, or just needs a break for the normal routine.

Depression May Be Hard To Recognize

If that person’s family or friends also lack information about depression, and especially if the person is normally laid-back, they may not notice much difference until the person has become so withdrawn that it is obvious something is wrong.

If you think you might be becoming clinically depressed, you owe it to yourself to get information about depression as soon as your can.

You can also find more information on Antidepressant Side Effects and Causes Of Depression. Treatdepressionhelp.com is a comprehensive resource to find out about Depression.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com/?expert=Julie_Wellsworth

               

Understand Multiple Sclerosis To Fight It

By Jon Arnold

Most people do not realize how wide-spread the affliction of multiple sclerosis is in today’s world. It affects tens of thousands of people, but it is one of those diseases where a very mild form of it could almost go unnoticed by the general public, and allow the patient to live a pretty normal day to day life. But for others, the effects of multiple sclerosis can be harsh.

Multiple sclerosis is generally considered to be a disease of the nervous system. With most patients, MS gets worse over time, although that time can be anywhere from a few weeks to several years, since the rate of degradation differs from person to person. The most obvious effect is the loss of motor controls within the central nervous system, starting with a loss of eeling and a loss of control over normal movements and speaking.

From a medical standpoint, MS affects the body’s central nervous system and breaks down the signals that go to the brain. This involves the threat to the different nerves and nerves sensors or fibers, also involving a threat to the brain, spinal cord, as well as in many patients, the optical nerve. What happens is that multiple sclerosis damages the enzymes and proteins that provide a defense or safeguard to those nerve fibers. This protective substance is known as myelin, where the primary purpose of myelin is to aid in the communications between the various nerve cells. Once the myelin safeguard is damaged or begins to break down, this causes a breakdown in the communications between the various nerve centers and their coordination.

Multiple Sclerosis, as various studies have indicated, seems to primarily be hereditary. Medical research has shown that the children of parents where either one of the parents has been diagnosed with MS are very likely to be afflicted with it. Certain hormones, particularly hormones associated with sex like progesterone and estrogen have proven to weaken the immune system and have the potential to cause MS.

The symptoms of multiple sclerosis are not readily evident unless you are watching for them. Since MS affects the central nervous system, the first indications of MS would be a lack of balance or tremors. Such symptoms should not be ignored if they persist beyond a few hours, and should be checked as soon as possible with your doctor.

Although it may sound trite, the best preventive measure you can take against multiple sclerosis is ensuring that you have a very rich and balanced diet. Your diet plays a significant role in almost anything you do, and the prevention of MS is certainly among those things. A balanced diet of the right foods will strengthen the immune system and help it fight against the breakdown of the myelin proteins.

Once you have been diagnosed with MS, there are many things that can be prescribed for you. Your doctor will undoubtedly recommend a balanced diet to keep your immune system and the nervous system safeguards as healthy as possible. There are also some natural remedies that have been shown to be effective against MS, and you can learn more about natural remedies at Natural Remedies For Better Health. The most important piece, however, is to get an accurate diagnosis as quickly as possible so that measures can be taken to fight it quickly.

Jon is a computer engineer who maintain a variety of web sites based on his knowledge and experience. For more information about Multiple Sclerosis, please visit his web site at Multiple Sclerosis Explained.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jon_Arnold

               

Shocking Medical Fact Has Revealed About Schizophrenia

By Tibor Rozsahegyi

Schizophrenia, a chronic psychiatric condition causes reduced capacity to work and is characterized by “positive” psychotic symptoms like hallucinations, delusions, disorganized thoughts, belligerence, eccentricity, and “negative” symptoms, like decreased self-regard, apathy, depression, decreased motivation and social isolation.

Anomalies of the fundamental cogitation processes, which affect functions like creative (imaginative) thinking, ability to make contact with others, using the language and expressing the feelings (emotions) is regarded as the central aspect of schizophrenia as well.

The chances of developing the disorder at any time during the lifespan – but especially in the early adulthood - stand at 0.7-1% percent and the one year prevalence rate, that is new cases per 10.000 inhabitants is 1-7.

Its incidence, the number of new occurrences of schizophrenia in a given population over a period of time is almost the same in each races, in differing socioeconomic environments and geographical regions, except the urbanites, among them the number of new occurrences is higher than among others.

The suffering caused by schizophrenia could became unbearable. The amount of suicide attempts among them might be up to 50%, and 10% of latter actually kill themselves.

The generally accepted view about schizophrenia makes strong connection with drug consumption, family dysfunctions, social problems like homelessness, crimes etc. Since effective medication is not available out there, the disorder is labeled as one of the heaviest burden on the modern societies worldwide, as the forth most frequent agent causing reduced capacity to work. All of the economic burdens generated by the disorder override the social effects of the cancers.

As any mental disorder schizophrenia is bonded to several well known misconceptions in the past and present as well. But the truth is most of the schizophrenic people are not under demonic influences, not drinkers or junkers and never run foul of the law. Since their thinking and behaving patterns so different than that of the ordinary people, the latter are often considering them as menace who threaten the peace and order of their communities or even the whole society. That was the accusation when the Nazis killed around 100,000 civilians, considering them the psychiatric, that is: schizophrenic.

There are few who knows the connection between schizophrenia and the common diet of ours. A shocking medical fact has revealed that there is a compound in our regular diet which might cause the psychiatric condition: gluten.

Intriguing early research suggests that people with a genetic intolerance to gluten may also be at increased risk for schizophrenia. Investigators say the link, if proven, could lead to new treatment options for a small subset of schizophrenic people.

Researchers from John’s Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health using a Danish health registry, found people with the genetic digestive disorder known as celiac disease, a lifelong condition in which foods that contain gluten damage the small intestine to be three times as likely as the general population to develop schizophrenia.

They now are screening for celiac disease, to locate the folks with schizophrenia for whom Gluten withdrawal might work.

The next step is to determine if following a gluten-free diet makes a difference in the symptoms of schizophrenic people with celiac disease. The researchers estimate that 3% of schizophrenic people could potentially benefit from such a diet.

Gluten is a form of protein found in some grains notably wheat, barley, and rye. Any flour made from the starchy endosperm of grains contains proteins that are potentially problematic to the grain intolerant person. The damage to the intestine makes it hard for the body to absorb nutrients, especially fat, calcium, iron, and folate, from food. The sticky, elastic component of grains, Gluten is essential for breads and baking. Bread is the most desired wheat product and is, unfortunately, the hardest food to duplicate with non-grain flours.

The exclusion of cereal grains significantly alters vegetarian regimens dependent on grains. Rice and rice products are the principle substitutes for cereals.

The mixture of proteins in Gluten is classified into two groups, the prolamines and the glutelins. The prolamine, gliadin, seems to be a major problem in celiac disease; anti-gliadin antibodies are found in the serum and in circulating immune complexes associated with this disease.

Wheat, barley, rye and oats have been excluded from “gluten-free diets.” Most of evidence implicates wheat as a problem food. Recent studies suggest that oats may not be as problematic as wheat.

Both the type and the amount of the gluten proteins decide the kind of reaction that is likely to occur. It should be noted that there is considerable variability in the protein content of various foods made from cereal grains, and this variability is one of the many reasons why food reactions are not consistent.

www.rosehillpublishing.com

Article Source: EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tibor_Rozsahegyi

               

Yoga and MS

By Jennifer Jordan

Yoga is known to improve health overall, with every aspect of it enhancing something, mind, body, or spirit. But, overall health aside, yoga is becoming known to be particularly helpful for relief from specific diseases. One of these diseases, Multiple Sclerosis, or MS, is a bit of a medical enigma, with no concrete causes and no concrete cure.

The course of MS is unpredictable. The four categories used to classify the clinical course in a person with MS are: Relapsing - remitting, Primary-progressive, Secondary-progressive, and Progressive-relapsing. In the absence of a resolution, several treatment options must step in to relieve the burden MS places on so many lives. Physical activity is extremely important for individuals with MS, and yoga is now recognized as an excellent means of MS management.

What is MS?

MS is an autoimmune disease in which the body’s defensive immune system attacks and destroys the fatty tissue, the myelin surrounding nerves in the brain and spinal cord. These myelin sheaths perform the same function as insulation around an electrical wire. Without the myelin insulation, nerve impulses from brain to body can short out and become confused, misdirected, or be completely blocked. Symptoms can include numbness and/or tingling in the extremities, weakness, lack of coordination and/or balance, gait difficulties, slurring of speech, blurred or double vision, bowel and bladder dysfunction, vertigo, and heat intolerance.

While no one knows for certain why some people get MS, there is some speculation to its cause. Because those who have family members with MS are at a slightly increased risk, there is speculation that it may be somewhat genetic. There also seems to be a link between where a person lived as a child and getting the disease as an adult. Those who grew up in colder climates, farther from the equator than other geographical locations are more likely to get it, suggesting that it may possess an environmental link. The risk also increases for those people who are of Western European ancestry. And, along these lines, the risk is greatly higher for women than men, with MS infecting three times more females than males.

How Yoga Helps?

Yoga is an excellent means of MS management whether the individual manifests little or no outward signs of the disease, or whether they spend most of their time in a wheel chair. Physical activity is extremely important for individuals with MS. The benefits of yoga postures, breath exercises, and meditation may include increased body awareness, as well as a release of muscular tension, a practice that will help keep muscles from atrophying and relieve spasticity. Yoga may also increase balance and coordination, flexibility and strength, control over fatigue, increased tolerance to heat, improved circulation and breathing, improved organ function, enhanced alertness, better management of stress and on overall feeling of well-being.

In 2003, the specific link between MS help and yoga was researched in a study conducted by the Oregon Health and Sciences University. In this study, the researchers worked with 69 MS patients, having some of them participate in yoga, some of them participate in other types of exercise, and some of them participate in no exercise at all. The researchers concluded that those who participated in yoga and exercise classes had a significant improvement in fatigue, a cornerstone of MS progression.

Because MS may have progressed beyond a person’s ability to participate in other forms of exercise, yoga is a good choice, with a certain adaptability and versatility to it. For instance, to help balance, poses such as The Mountain and Warrior can be used with the help of a wall where The Tree and The Eagle poses can be used with the help of a chair. Many poses are restorative, helping the person performing them to feel relaxed and rejuvenated.

Yoga can also benefit MS in several other ways. One way is the empowerment yoga provides, empowering people to make wise choices about other factors that can help MS. One of these factors is healthy eating. Because it’s important that those with MS eat meals that are healthy and well-balanced, a person’s choice in diet can greatly affect the degree to which MS is debilitating. Yoga has a way of filling a person’s mind and body with constructive emotions, allowing them to want to do everything they can to relieve the symptoms of the disease. It makes people self-aware, helping them to realize what actions need to be taken to keep MS in check and helping them to want to perform those actions.

Another way yoga helps is by perpetuating a positive attitude, something that can prove helpful even where modern medicine fails. Yoga helps people to look inward, focusing on the positive emotions they have within them and giving their inner being the ability to heal. This takes the focus off the disease of MS, causing it to loosen its grip in the process. It also helps people to relax, be less stressed, and to believe MS is a disease that they can keep in check. In keeping with the belief that “he who thinks he can and he who thinks he can’t is right either way” yoga makes people more optimistic when it comes to their disease, and their life in general.

About us: TWISTED is a medical yoga studio at the Center for Osteopathic Medicine in Boulder, Colorado. Twisted integrates osteopathic medicine, hatha yoga and mindfulness practices to teach optimal balance between physical, mental, and emotional health. It aims to educate and help people to live a healthy life from the inside out. Rehabilitation programs offer a comprehensive treatment regime for the whole being, empowering each person one breath at a time to stimulate the body’s natural healing potential.

Jennifer Jordan is senior editor of www.yogatwisted.com. Specializing in articles that not only teach yoga techniques, but also teach techniques on fulfillment and enrichment, she aims to educate students proudly enrolled in the school of life.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jennifer_Jordan

               

What Do You Need to Know About Schizophrenia

By Mansi Aggarwal

What is schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is an incurable mental illness. It is taken to be a psychotic disorder that makes the person unable to link thought, emotion and behavior. This leads to a withdrawal from his personal relationships and reality. In schizophrenia people undergo psychotic episodes. A psychotic episode is the term coined for unnecessary and unusual mood swings, becoming restless and eager without any good reason and being withdrawn. Schizophrenia, thus deeply affects/hampers the functioning of one’s thinking, conduct, social and personal life.

When is it Schizophrenia?

The diverse symptoms are a clue to the different kinds of schizophrenia. The indicators that are broadly divided into three categories thus vary with the types of schizophrenia.

Positive symptoms- schizophrenic suffer from hallucinations and delusions. These are the positive symptoms. Hallucinations make a person see things that are not actually there. For instance he may perceive a rope lying nearby as a snake and get petrified of it. In case of delusions, the individual might think himself to be someone, which he is not. He becomes oblivious of the reality and enters his own imaginary world. This can be too fatal at times for the schizophrenic and even for those near him.

The positive symptoms most often indicate the most common type of schizophrenia known as ‘paranoid schizophrenia’. The hallucinations and delusions make the individual act like a paranoid who is constantly scared of someone or something.

Negative symptoms- are exhibited when the person behaves like a mannequin i.e. he does not act or show any emotion. He becomes dull, impassive, unaffected and still personality and thereby displays a reaction less or catatonic conduct.

‘Catatonic schizophrenia’ is deemed to be the reason behind these indicators. Disorganized indicators- show an individual’s distorted thoughts and memory; he is unable to connect various events, understand them and does or says a thing over and over again.

This uncommon and perplexed behavior is mostly the cause of ‘disorganized type’ of schizophrenia. However, if the symptoms are unlike any of these then the schizophrenia is believed to be of undifferentiated kind.

Who gets affected?

Unfortunately the accurate reasons behind schizophrenia are unknown till date. But experience has enabled doctors to posit some peculiar factors that invoke and provoke schizophrenia.

Genes- in many cases worldwide, schizophrenia is transferred genetically. Studies disclose that those individuals who have had a family history of this mental disorder are quite liable to be afflicted by it.

The imbalance of the brain chemical called ‘dopamine’ often disturbs the brain functioning and produces schizophrenia.

An unusual structure or working of brain is even a cause of schizophrenia.

Change in hormones at the onset of puberty, during pregnancy, excess of stress hormone in the body and any other viral infection can very well develop schizophrenia.

Addiction to narcotics may at times lead to schizophrenia.

Prevention and Medication

In order to prevent the frequent occurrence of psychotic episodes, doctors prescribe medicines after few tests. Once the tests confirm the mental disorder as none other than schizophrenia, treatment commences. The medicines so prescribed are quite efficient to a large extent however, if a schizophrenic becomes irregular in dosage, schizophrenia relapses without delay.

Nowadays some other treatments such as the electro conclusive therapy (ECT), personal therapy, animal assisted and stem cell therapy have turned out to be too beneficial in curing schizophrenia to a considerable extent. Apart from these, doctors emphasize a balanced diet that provides all essential nutrients to the body and is particularly rich in vitamin E.

Mansi aggarwal writes about. schizophrenia. Learn more at www.schizophrenialiving.com

Article Source: EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mansi_Aggarwal

               

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Schizophrenia - What Is It?

by: Arthur Buchanan

WHAT IS IT?

Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe, and disabling brain disease. Approximately 1 percent of the population develops schizophrenia during their lifetime—more than 2 million Americans suffer from the illness in a given year. Although schizophrenia affects men and women with equal frequency, the disorder often appears earlier in men, usually in the late teens or early twenties, than in women, who are generally affected in the twenties to early thirties. People with schizophrenia often suffer terrifying symptoms such as hearing internal voices not heard by others, or believing that other people are reading their minds, controlling their thoughts, or plotting to harm them. These symptoms may leave them fearful and withdrawn. Their speech and behavior can be so disorganized that they may be incomprehensible or frightening to others. Available treatments can relieve many symptoms, but most people with schizohphrenia continue to suffer some symptoms throughout their lives; it has been estimated that no more than one in five individuals recovers completely.

This is a time of hope for people with schizophrenia and their families. Research is gradually leading to new and safer medications and unraveling the complex causes of the disease. Scientists are using many approaches from the study of molecular genetics to the study of populations to learn about schizophrenia. Methods of imaging the brain’s structure and function hold the promise of new insights into the disorder.

Schizophrenia as an Illness

Schizophrenia is found all over the world. The severity of the symptoms and long-lasting, chronic pattern of schizophrenia often cause a high degree of disability. Medications and other treatments for schizophrenia, when used regularly and as prescribed, can help reduce and control the distressing symptoms of the illness. However, some people are not greatly helped by available treatments or may prematurely discontinue treatment because of unpleasant side effects or other reasons. Even when treatment is effective, persisting consequences of the illness—lost opportunities, stigma, residual symptoms, and medication side effects—may be very troubling.

The first signs of schizophrenia often appear as confusing, or even shocking, changes in behavior. Coping with the symptoms of schizophrenia can be especially difficult for family members who remember how involved or vivacious a person was before they became ill. The sudden onset of severe psychotic symptoms is referred to as an “acute” phase of schizophrenia. “Psychosis,” a common condition in schizophrenia, is a state of mental impairment marked by hallucinations, which are disturbances of sensory perception, and/or delusions, which are false yet strongly held personal beliefs that result from an inability to separate real from unreal experiences. Less obvious symptoms, such as social isolation or withdrawal, or unusual speech, thinking, or behavior, may precede, be seen along with, or follow the psychotic symptoms. Some people have only one such psychotic episode; others have many episodes during a lifetime, but lead relatively normal lives during the interim periods. However, the individual with “chronic” schizophrenia, or a continuous or recurring pattern of illness, often does not fully recover normal functioning and typically requires long-term treatment, generally including medication, to control the symptoms.

Making a Diagnosis

It is important to rule out other illnesses, as sometimes people suffer severe mental symptoms or even psychosis due to undetected underlying medical conditions. For this reason, a medical history should be taken and a physical examination and laboratory tests should be done to rule out other possible causes of the symptoms before concluding that a person has schizophrenia. In addition, since commonly abused drugs may cause symptoms resembling schizophrenia, blood or urine samples from the person can be tested at hospitals or physicians’ offices for the presence of these drugs.

At times, it is difficult to tell one mental disorder from another. For instance, some people with symptoms of schizophrenia exhibit prolonged extremes of elated or depressed mood, and it is important to determine whether such a patient has schizophrenia or actually has a manic-depressive (or bipolar) disorder or major depressive disorder. Persons whose symptoms cannot be clearly categorized are sometimes diagnosed as having a “schizoaffective disorder.”

Can Children Have Schizophrenia?

Children over the age of five can develop schizophrenia, but it is very rare before adolescence. Although some people who later develop schizophrenia may have seemed different from other children at an early age, the psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia—hallucinations and delusions—are extremely uncommon before adolescence.

The World of People With Schizophrenia Distorted Perceptions of Reality

People with schizophrenia may have perceptions of reality that are strikingly different from the reality seen and shared by others around them. Living in a world distorted by hallucinations and delusions, individuals with schizophrenia may feel frightened, anxious, and confused.

In part because of the unusual realities they experience, people with schizophrenia may behave very differently at various times. Sometimes they may seem distant, detached, or preoccupied and may even sit as rigidly as a stone, not moving for hours or uttering a sound. Other times they may move about constantly—always occupied, appearing wide-awake, vigilant, and alert.

Hallucinations and Illusions

Hallucinations and illusions are disturbances of perception that are common in people suffering from schizophrenia. Hallucinations are perceptions that occur without connection to an appropriate source. Although hallucinations can occur in any sensory form—auditory (sound), visual (sight), tactile (touch), gustatory (taste), and olfactory (smell)—hearing voices that other people do not hear is the most common type of hallucination in schizophrenia. Voices may describe the patient’s activities, carry on a conversation, warn of impending dangers, or even issue orders to the individual. Illusions, on the other hand, occur when a sensory stimulus is present but is incorrectly interpreted by the individual.

Delusions

Delusions are false personal beliefs that are not subject to reason or contradictory evidence and are not explained by a person’s usual cultural concepts. Delusions may take on different themes. For example, patients suffering from paranoid-type symptoms—roughly one-third of people with schizophrenia—often have delusions of persecution, or false and irrational beliefs that they are being cheated, harassed, poisoned, or conspired against. These patients may believe that they, or a member of the family or someone close to them, are the focus of this persecution. In addition, delusions of grandeur, in which a person may believe he or she is a famous or important figure, may occur in schizophrenia. Sometimes the delusions experienced by people with schizophrenia are quite bizarre; for instance, believing that a neighbor is controlling their behavior with magnetic waves; that people on television are directing special messages to them; or that their thoughts are being broadcast aloud to others.

Disordered Thinking

Schizophrenia often affects a person’s ability to “think straight.” Thoughts may come and go rapidly; the person may not be able to concentrate on one thought for very long and may be easily distracted, unable to focus attention.

People with schizophrenia may not be able to sort out what is relevant and what is not relevant to a situation. The person may be unable to connect thoughts into logical sequences, with thoughts becoming disorganized and fragmented. This lack of logical continuity of thought, termed “thought disorder,” can make conversation very difficult and may contribute to social isolation. If people cannot make sense of what an individual is saying, they are likely to become uncomfortable and tend to leave that person alone.

Emotional Expression

People with schizophrenia often show “blunted” or “flat” affect. This refers to a severe reduction in emotional expressiveness. A person with schizophrenia may not show the signs of normal emotion, perhaps may speak in a monotonous voice, have diminished facial expressions, and appear extremely apathetic. The person may withdraw socially, avoiding contact with others; and when forced to interact, he or she may have nothing to say, reflecting “impoverished thought.” Motivation can be greatly decreased, as can interest in or enjoyment of life. In some severe cases, a person can spend entire days doing nothing at all, even neglecting basic hygiene. These problems with emotional expression and motivation, which may be extremely troubling to family members and friends, are symptoms of schizophrenia—not character flaws or personal weaknesses.

Normal Versus Abnormal

At times, normal individuals may feel, think, or act in ways that resemble schizophrenia. Normal people may sometimes be unable to “think straight.” They may become extremely anxious, for example, when speaking in front of groups and may feel confused, be unable to pull their thoughts together, and forget what they had intended to say. This is not schizophrenia. At the same time, people with schizophrenia do not always act abnormally. Indeed, some people with the illness can appear completely normal and be perfectly responsible, even while they experience hallucinations or delusions. An individual’s behavior may change over time, becoming bizarre if medication is stopped and returning closer to normal when receiving appropriate treatment.

Are People With Schizophrenia Likely To Be Violent?

News and entertainment media tend to link mental illness and criminal violence; however, studies indicate that except for those persons with a record of criminal violence before becoming ill , and those with substance abuse or alcohol problems, people with Schizophrenia are not especially prone to violence.

Most individuals with schizophrenia are not violent; more typically, they are withdrawn and prefer to be left alone. Most violent crimes are not committed by persons with schizophrenia, and most persons with schizophrenia do not commit violent crimes.

Substance abuse significantly raises the rate of violence in people with schizophrenia but also in people who do not have any mental illness. People with paranoid and psychotic symptoms, which can become worse if medications are discontinued, may also be at higher risk for violent behavior. When violence does occur, it is most frequently targeted at family members and friends, and more often takes place at home.

Substance Abuse

Substance abuse is a common concern of the family and friends of people with schizophrenia. Since some people who abuse drugs may show symptoms similar to those of schizophrenia, people with schizophrenia may be mistaken for people “high on drugs.” while most researchers do not believe that substance abuse causes schizophrenia, people who have schizophrenia often abuse alcohol and/or drugs, and may have particularly bad reactions to certain drugs. Substance abuse can reduce the effectiveness of treatment for schizophrenia. Stimulants (such as amphetamines or cocaine) may cause major problems for patients with schizophrenia, as may PCP or marijuana. In fact, some people experience a worsening of their schizophrenic symptoms when they are taking such drugs. Substance abuse also reduces the likelihood that patients will follow the treatment plans recommended by their doctors.

Schizophrenia and Nicotine

The most common form of substance use disorder in people with schizophrenia is nicotine dependence due to smoking. While the prevalence of smoking in the U.S. population is about 25 to 30 percent, the prevalence among people with schizophrenia is approximately three times as high. Research has shown that the relationship between smoking and schizophrenia is complex. Although people with schizophrenia may smoke to self medicate their symptoms, smoking interferes with the response to antipsychotic drugs. Several studies have found that schizophrenia patients who smoke need higher doses of antipsychotic medication. Quitting smoking may be especially difficult for people with schizophrenia, because the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal may cause a temporary worsening of schizophrenia symptoms. However, smoking cessation strategies that include nicotine replacement methods may be effective. Doctors should carefully monitor medication dosage and response when patients with schizophrenia either start or stop smoking.

What About Suicide?

Suicide is a serious danger in people who have schizophrenia. If an individual tries to commit suicide or threatens to do so, professional help should be sought immediately. People with schizophrenia have a higher rate of suicide than the general population. Approximately 10 percent of people with schizophrenia (especially younger adult males) commit suicide. Unfortunately, the prediction of suicide in people with schizophrenia can be especially difficult.

WHAT CAUSES SCHIZOPHRENIA?

There is no known single cause of schizophrenia. Many diseases, such as heart disease, result from an interplay of genetic, environmental, and behavioral factors; and this may be the case for schizophrenia as well. Scientists do not yet understand all of the factors necessary to produce schizophrenia, but all the tools of modern biomedical research are being used to search for genes, critical moments in brain development, and environmental factors that may lead to the illness.

Is Schizophrenia Inherited?

It has long been known that schizophrenia runs in families. People who have a close relative with schizophrenia are more likely to develop the disorder than are people who have no relatives with the illness. For example, a monozygotic (identical) twin of a person with schizophrenia has the highest risk—40 to 50 percent—of developing the illness. A child whose parent has schizophrenia has about a 10 percent chance. By comparison, the risk of schizophrenia in the general population is about 1 percent.

Scientists are studying genetic factors in schizophrenia. It appears likely that multiple genes are involved in creating a predisposition to develop the disorder. In addition, factors such as prenatal difficulties like intrauterine starvation or viral infections, perinatal complications, and various nonspecific stressors, seem to influence the development of schizophrenia. However, it is not yet understood how the genetic predisposition is transmitted, and it cannot yet be accurately predicted whether a given person will or will not develop the disorder.

Several regions of the human genome are being investigated to identify genes that may confer susceptibility for schizophrenia. The strongest evidence to date leads to chromosomes 13 and 6 but remains unconfirmed. Identification of specific genes involved in the development of schizophrenia will provide important clues into what goes wrong in the brain to produce and sustain the illness and will guide the development of new and better treatments. To learn more about the genetic basis for schizophrenia, the NIMH has established a Schizophrenia Genetics Initiative that is gathering data from a large number of families of people with the illness.

Is Schizophrenia Associated With a Chemical Defect in the Brain?

Basic knowledge about brain chemistry and its link to schizophrenia is expanding rapidly. Neurotransmitters, substances that allow communication between nerve cells, have long been thought to be involved in the development of schizophrenia. It is likely, although not yet certain, that the disorder is associated with some imbalance of the complex, interrelated chemical systems of the brain, perhaps involving the neurotransmitters dopamine and glutamate. This area of research is promising.

Is Schizophrenia Caused by a Physical Abnormality in the Brain?

There have been dramatic advances in neuroimaging technology that permit scientists to study brain structure and function in living individuals. Many studies of people with schizophrenia have found abnormalities in brain structure (for example, enlargement of the fluid-filled cavities, called the ventricles, in the interior of the brain, and decreased size of certain brain regions) or function (for example, decreased metabolic activity in certain brain regions). It should be emphasized that these abnormalities are quite subtle and are not characteristic of all people with schizophrenia, nor do they occur only in individuals with this illness. Microscopic studies of brain tissue after death have also shown small changes in distribution or number of brain cells in people with schizophrenia. It appears that many (but probably not all) of these changes are present before an individual becomes ill, and schizophrenia may be, in part, a disorder in development of the brain.

Developmental neurobiologists funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) have found that schizophrenia may be a developmental disorder resulting when neurons form inappropriate connections during fetal development. These errors may lie dormant until puberty, when changes in the brain that occur normally during this critical stage of maturation interact adversely with the faulty connections. This research has spurred efforts to identify prenatal factors that may have some bearing on the apparent developmental abnormality.

In other studies, investigators using brain-imaging techniques have found evidence of early biochemical changes that may precede the onset of disease symptoms, prompting examination of the neural circuits that are most likely to be involved in producing those symptoms. Scientists working at the molecular level, meanwhile, are exploring the genetic basis for abnormalities in brain development and in the neurotransmitter systems regulating brain function.

About The Author

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