Schizophrenia Treatment in Malaga
Schizophrenia is a very common mental disorder, according to the World Health Organisation, there are about 21 million people with schizophrenia in the world. people with schizophrenia in the world. It is more common in men than in women and the highest incidence is between adolescence and the fourth decade of life. These patients are 2.5 times more likely to die early from various causes than the rest of the population.
In Spain, statistics indicate that there are about 600,000 people with schizophrenia, with a prevalence of 1 per 100 people, similar to the rest of the world.
For this reason, a specialised centre such as CIPS Malaga led by the Dr. Eloy Rodriguez ArrebolaThe psychiatrist and his medical team offer the most professional alternative in the field of psychiatry. treatment of schizophrenia.
What is schizophrenia?
The schizophrenia is a type of psychosisIt is a very complex disorder that causes a great deal of disability and can significantly affect a person's life, social, educational and occupational performance. It is characterised by distortion of thought and language, changes in emotions and perception of the outside world, alterations in self-awareness and significant changes in behaviour.
The difference between psychosis and schizophreniaThe main reason for this is terminology, since psychoses are all mental disorders in which there is a loss of contact with reality, schizophrenia being a type of psychosis.
Symptoms of schizophrenia.
In schizophrenia there are initial or prodromal symptoms, which may last for 2-6 years, during which time personality disorder, mood problems, difficulty with social interaction and problems with addictions may be expressed. The main symptoms of schizophrenia The main symptoms at this stage are: affective blunting, passivity, lack of initiative, impoverished language, impoverished non-verbal communication, fears, nervousness, loss of libido, mistrust, restlessness, lack of energy, depression or anxiety, difficulties in concentration, decreased academic performance, sleep and appetite disorders, self-aggressive behaviour, social withdrawal, suicidal ideation, intermittent changes in affections, among others.
Classic Symptoms of Schizophrenia
Delusions: in which there is an erroneous conviction about an idea or fact that has no real basis, are usually very complex and elaborate, outside of any logic. They can be passionate, sensitive, interpretative, imaginative, among others.
Behavioural changes: may behave extravagantly, often with an unkempt and untidy personal appearance.
Speech disorders: with incoherence, rapid and incomprehensible speech, illogical arguments, often associated with attention problems.
Changes in emotions: apathy or disconnect between facial expression and body language
Hallucinations: which are perceptions that are not based on reality, they may be fantastic, but the patient experiences them in a real way. They can be related to any sense, visual, olfactory, tactile, auditory or gustatory. Although tactile and gustatory hallucinations are the least frequent.
The symptoms of schizophrenia in children often have certain differences from adolescents and adults. Delusions are less frequent in children under 12 and are less complex, making it difficult to differentiate delusions from thoughts.
In the childhood schizophrenia there are behavioural changes, with a tendency to be shy or withdrawn, suffer from anxiety, or have a tendency to social isolation. It is associated with low IQ and sometimes autistic spectrum conditions.
Negative symptoms of schizophrenia:
Affective flattening. It can be manifested by: invariability of facial expression, decreased spontaneous movements, lack of expressive gestures, poor eye contact, lack of affective response, inappropriate affect, lack of speech inflections.
Allogia: It can be manifested by: poor speech, blocking, increased latency of responses.
Abulia-Apathy: Insufficient personal hygiene, physical anergy, lack of persistence at work or school.
Anhedonia-Asociability: lack of interests or activities, little sexual interest, few relationships with friends and peers.
Lack of attention with social distractibility.
Positive symptoms of schizophrenia:
Hallucinations: They can be related to any sense, visual, olfactory, tactile, auditory or gustatory.
Delusional ideas: Of persecution, jealousy, guilt, sin, grandeur, religious, somatic, control, reference, mind-reading and echo, insertion and dissemination of thought.
Strange behaviour: Alteration in social and sexual behaviour, aggression, agitation, stereotyped behaviour, and altered dress and/or appearance.
Formal thought disorders: Derailment, tangentiality, incoherence, circumstantiality and sound associations.
Types of Schizophrenia
Paranoid schizophrenia is the most common, characterised by delusions and hallucinations, especially auditory hallucinations.
Catatonic schizophreniaThere is a lack of movement and expressiveness, or a combination of periods of immobility with automatic or repetitive movements, which may last for days or weeks. There is no response to external stimuli.
Hebephrenic schizophrenia, in which there is disinhibited behaviour and inappropriate responses to the occasion. Incoherent and disorganised language. Poor prognosis.
Simple schizophrenia, there is an insidious but progressive development, with extravagant behaviour, inability to meet the demands of social life and a general decline in performance. Affect is dulled, with poor emotional responsiveness and affective poverty.
Causes of schizophrenia
No single cause has been identified, but rather an interaction of genetic, psychological and environmental factors that condition the onset of this disease.
It should be noted that psychosocial factors have a major impact on schizophrenia. Researchers have been able to link alterations in embryonic brain formation with schizophrenia, infections in pregnancy and disorders during childbirth have also been proposed. Nutritional problems such as alanine and GABA deficiency, environmental pollution with heavy metals and some types of metabolic problems have also been established.
The genetic factor is involved, however, the presence of a family history is not always present.
Treatment for schizophrenia
According to the World Health Organisation, approximately 50% of the population is untreated. Schizophrenia cannot be cured, but it is a medical condition that can be successfully treated, both with medication and psychotherapy, so that the patient's quality of life can be improved and their social, occupational and educational integration ensured.
Given the lack of a specific cause and the strong interaction of various factors, the multidisciplinary approach to treatment allows for a higher success rate.
Adherence is essential in the treatment of schizophreniaThe aim is to normalise and improve the quality of life, the prevention of relapses, as well as the incorporation of the family and its environment.
How and where to treat a person with schizophrenia in Malaga?
The best way to helping a person with schizophreniaThe first step is to understand the pathology, its symptoms, implications and prognosis.
Support at medical appointments and compliance with treatment is essential, as these patients tend to be very reluctant to attend medical appointments or comply with medication. The presence and communication between a family member or a person close to the patient is important at the time of the medical consultation. Support should also stimulate or motivate the sick person.
It is important to learn to recognise the typical symptoms of a psychotic break, such as hallucinations and delusions, which require rapid intervention by the psychiatric specialist in order to prescribe appropriate psychopharmacological treatment so that the patient does not become even more psychopathologically unbalanced and require urgent admission to a psychiatric clinic.
Finally, raising awareness in the immediate environment, disseminating knowledge about the disease, helping to improve social tolerance and understanding of this complex but treatable pathology.
You now have a Specialised Mental Health Centre in Malaga our Integral Psychiatric Clinical Center CIPS directed by Dr. Eloy Rodriguez ArrebolaAs a doctor specialising in psychiatry with more than 22 years of experience in dealing with mental disorders such as schizophrenia, we have one of the best teams of specialists in psychiatry: Dr. Javier Hernandez Pedrosa and Dr. Marina Romero González as a specialist in Child Psychiatry. We are at your disposal to assess your case or that of your relative or loved one.
