What Is The Primary Cause Of Schizophrenia

Test To Diagnose Schizophrenia

Diagnosing schizophrenia is based on observing someones actions and symptoms. However, doctors may carry out tests to make sure nothing else is at the root of the symptoms. For example, imaging studies or CT or MRI scans might be carried out, to rule out symptoms being caused by problems such as brain tumours, epilepsy, autoimmune conditions or infections. Inkblot, cognitive and/or personality tests may also be used.

Doctors are also likely to perform tests to ensure that symptoms are not being caused by other factors, such as prescription medications, alcohol or drugs.

If a doctor suspects schizophrenia, they may refer to a psychiatrist, who may carry out assessments or observe behaviours in order to try and establish a clear diagnosis.

Is There A Specific Window Of Vulnerability During Pregnancy That Increases Schizophrenia Risk

In terms of brain development, pregnancy has an orderly sequence of definable stages. Therefore, an important factor to consider is whether there are specific stages of pregnancy that are more vulnerable? In respect to obstetric complications, most studies have focused on adverse events during labour. Far fewer have examined adverse events earlier in pregnancy. Although prenatal hypoxia induced by maternal smoking is a well-described schizophrenia RF, there is no convincing study indicating any particular pregnancy stage is the most vulnerable. However, it is likely that maternal smoking may diminish once pregnancy is confirmed, suggesting that smoking induced prenatal hypoxia may be more common in the earlier stages of pregnancy.

With respect to influenza, the risk of schizophrenia is increased sevenfold if the mother was exposed in the first trimester with no increase at later gestational ages, however, this was only statistically significant when the first half of pregnancy was considered. Reproductive tract infections also increase the incidence of schizophrenia in offspring but only when infection occurs either at conception or in the first few weeks of pregnancy as infection at later stages did not increase risk.

Symptoms Of A Mental Disorder

Schizophrenia is a chronic mental disorder which affects a persons thoughts, feelings, and behavior. 1.1% of the worlds population suffers from Schizophrenia making it one of the main causes of disability. No matter what race, age, or gender everyone with this mental illness is affected in the same way. There are several factors that cause disability in everyday life. For example, seeing or imagining things that dont exist, hearing voices, feeling threatened by people or things, etc. This literature

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What Is Senile Schizophrenia

In psychiatry, such a disease as senile schizophrenia is the subject of heated discussions. The essence of the controversy is as follows. Some experts consider this form of the disease only a type of typical schizophrenia, which manifested itself at a later age. Others are convinced that senile schizophrenia is only a symptomatic manifestation of

Box 8 Common Side Effects Of Antipsychotic Drugs20

First generation antipsychotics

• Glucose intolerance and frank diabetes mellitus

• Hypotension

• Glucose intolerance and diabetes mellitus

• Nocturnal enuresis

• Myocarditis

• Aspiration pneumonia

Some patients will inevitably need to be referred back to secondary care. Guideline criteria for this decision include:

• Poor treatment compliance

• Increase in risk profile.

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What Are The Different Types Of Schizophrenia

Prior to 2013, schizophrenia was divided into five subtypes as separate diagnostic categories. Schizophrenia is now one diagnosis.

Although the subtypes are no longer used in clinical diagnosis, the names of the subtypes may be known for people diagnosed prior to the DSM-5 . These classic subtypes included:

• paranoid, with symptoms such as delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized speech
• hebephrenic or disorganized, with symptoms such as flat affect, speech disturbances, and disorganized thinking
• undifferentiated, with symptoms displaying behaviors applicable to more than one type
• residual, with symptoms that have lessened in intensity since a previous diagnosis
• catatonic, with symptoms of immobility, mutism, or stupor

According to the DSM-5, to be diagnosed with schizophrenia, two or more of the following must be present during a 1-month period.

At least one must be numbers 1, 2, or 3 on the list:

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What Is The Long

Without ongoing care, people with schizophrenia can be hospitalized multiple times, lose jobs and fall out of touch with their families.

Early treatment in whatever setting works best for the patient is important, says Dr. Bowers. If they are in the hospital, we want to be sure they have a good aftercare plan.

Patients need to have a clear idea about how to maintain their health by taking their meds, staying sober and getting community support.

This will help them maintain their independence and function better in society.

The road to diagnosis, treatment and stability is a challenging one. Along the way, she recommends getting education and support from national organizations like the National Alliance on Mental Illness , Recovery International and Emotions Anonymous.

To learn about local services, families can reach out to their county mental health board, local hospital or mental health center.

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Can Drug Abuse Cause Schizophrenia

We know that stimulants like cocaine and amphetamines can induce a picture clinically identical to paranoid schizophrenia, and recent reports have also implicated cannabis. The evidence that patients with established schizophrenia smoke more cannabis than the general population is overwhelming. Well conducted and comprehensive cohort studies, like that from Dunedin in New Zealand, show that early cannabis uselong before psychotic symptoms appearincreases the future risk of schizophrenia fourfold, while a meta-analysis of prospective studies reported a doubling of the risk. This effect is robust, even after controlling for any effect of self medication, undermining the suggestion that early cannabis use is an attempt to alleviate distress caused by the developing illness. Only a small proportion of people who use cannabis develop schizophrenia, just as only a few of those who misuse alcohol develop cirrhosis. This probably reflects a genetically determined vulnerability to the environmental stressor, a gene-environment interaction. Indeed, variations in the dopamine metabolising COMT gene affect the propensity to develop psychosis in people who use cannabis.

How Do Validated Genomic Variants In Schizophrenia Affect Brain Development

Schizophrenia is clearly familial. The heritability of schizophrenia is estimated to be as high as . Early studies on small, genetically homogenous populations produced findings suggesting single nucleotide polymorphisms, copy errors or splicing variants were increased in genes that could be plausibly associated with schizophrenia. These became known as candidate gene studies. Perhaps the most famous of these candidates was a translocation error in Disrupted in Schizophrenia 1 . Much interest was generated regarding this gene due to its numerous functions in neuronal development. While much has been learnt regarding the role of candidate genes in brain development and function, follow up studies in broader patient populations invariably failed to replicate any such association. Following many such false dawns with other such candidates the field had to recognise that schizophrenia was a polygenetic disorder of multiple variants of small effect.

Finally, one group has now used deep sequencing technology to assess gene transcript variants induced by gene splicing and shown that the isoforms of commonly expressed genes in brain change from foetal to adult life. Importantly it would appear that the isoforms expressed in the adult brains of patients with schizophrenia more closely resemble the foetal state. The genes with these isoform shifts were significantly enriched for neurodevelopmental and cellular signalling processes.

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Is Early Recognition Important

Most general practitioners with a couple of thousand patients on their list will see one or two new cases of psychosis each year. The mean duration of untreated psychosisthe time between full symptoms emerging and starting continuous antipsychotic treatmentis currently around one to two years in the UK.w10 A systematic review and meta-analysis have shown that the longer this period, the worse the outcome.w11 The idea that reducing the duration of untreated psychosis will be reflected in improved outcome has led to a recent expansion in first episode services in the UK and other countries. Whether or not this proves to be the case, patients with psychotic symptoms should be identified and treated as quickly as possible.

Those Suffering From Schizophrenia Must Have Medical Records That Show How They Are Limited In Functioning Socially Focusing On Tasks Or In Other Ways

Schizophrenia is a serious, psychotic mental disorder that may make it difficult to think logically, interact socially in a normal way, control behavior, and distinguish between reality and delusions/hallucinations. Schizophrenia is a spectrumdisorder, meaning that the types and severity of symptoms may vary greatly between individuals, especially taking into account different responses to treatment. Although some people with schizophrenia respond well enough to medications to perform some type of work, there are many others who cannot.

While schizophrenia is a common psychotic disorder seen by Social Security, there are similar disorders involving different degrees of psychosis that may also quality for disability benefits, such as:

• schizotypal disorder
• substance/medication-induced psychotic disorder, and
• psychotic disorder due to another medical condition.

As with all mental impairments, Social Security is more interested in what functional limitations a disability applicant has, after trying medical treatment, than what specific psychotic diagnosis the applicant has been given.

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Family Education And Support

Educational programs for family members, significant others, and friends offer instruction about schizophrenia symptoms and treatments, and strategies for assisting the person with the illness. Increasing key supporters understanding of psychotic symptoms, treatment options, and the course of recovery can lessen their distress, bolster coping and empowerment, and strengthen their capacity to offer effective assistance. Family-based services may be provided on an individual basis or through multi-family workshops and support groups. For more information about family-based services in your area, you can visit the family education and support groups page on the National Alliance on Mental Illness website.

French Troops Brought Home Hashish

The use of hemp as an intoxicant has a comparatively recent history in Europe. French soldiers, who took home hashish made from the resin of female cannabis plants from Napoleon’s Egyptian campaign in 1798, played a key role in spreading it. While Napoleon banned hashish in Egypt, it became popular in Paris.

Cannabis: Open to cultural interpretation

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Course And Consequences Of Dual Disorders

Addiction is not the cause of schizophrenia and schizophrenia is not the cause of addiction. Rather, the effect of schizophrenia and addiction are bidirectional and each worsens the course of the other. Patients with addiction problems have an earlier age of onset of schizophrenia than patients without addiction. In addition, schizophrenia patients with comorbid substance abuse at the time of their first episode of psychosis are more likely to be men, with a longer duration of untreated psychosis, more severely ill, and be poor responders to antipsychotic medications. In short, substance abuse triggers and exacerbates psychosis that worsens the course of schizophrenia.

Moreover, schizophrenic patients who abuse drugs have an increased risk of suicide, are less compliant with treatment, often homeless, unemployed, violent, and frequently hospitalized . Substance abuse and violence are powerful predictors of acute psychotic episodes in patients with schizophrenia. In fact, schizophrenia patients who have a substance use disorder have twice the rate of hospitalization than those without substance disorders. Thus, these comorbid diagnoses occur more frequently among inpatients than outpatients. Up to 50% of readmissions for schizophrenia have been attributed to addiction.

TABLE 53.2. Effects on Schizophrenia Patients Who Abuse Drugs

Walter J Muir, Andrew G McKechanie, in, 2010

Chemical Changes In The Brain

A series of complex interrelated chemicals in the brain, called neurotransmitters, are responsible for sending signals between brain cells.

Low levels or imbalances of these chemicals are believed to play a role in the development of schizophrenia and other mental health conditions.

Dopamine, in particular, seems to play a role in the development of schizophrenia.

Researchers have found evidence that dopamine causes an overstimulation of the brain in people with schizophrenia. It may account for some of the symptoms of the condition.

Glutamate is another chemical thats been linked to schizophrenia. Evidence has pointed toward its involvement. However, there are a number of limitations to this research.

Complications before and during birth may increase the likelihood a person will develop mental health disorders, including schizophrenia.

These complications include:

Because of the ethics involved in studying pregnant women, many of the studies that have looked at the connection between prenatal complications and schizophrenia have been on animals.

Women with schizophrenia are at an increased risk for complications during pregnancy.

Its unclear if their children are at an increased likelihood for developing the condition because of genetics, pregnancy complications, or a combination of the two.

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Length Of Different Types Of Psychosis

The duration of psychosis depends on the type and cause of the psychotic episode. For instance, the duration of psychosis associated with a mental health disorder is different from that of drug-induced psychosis. Additionally, with mental health disorders, the length of time psychosis lasts will vary.

Take for example a brief psychotic disorder vs. schizophrenia. A brief psychotic disorder lasts for one month or less and usually only occurs once, whereas is defined by symptoms or its precursors that lasts for a period of six months. Additionally, two or more symptoms, such as hallucinations, delusions, disorganized speech and extremely disorganized or catatonic behavior, must be significant and last for at least one month. In bipolar disorder, a person may experience psychosis during the manic phase, which can have a duration of weeks to months.

Prescribed For Menstrual Cramps

Since the 1990s, the UK has been discussing the legalization of cannabis. There was a rumor at the time that Queen Victoria was prescribed cannabis for menstrual cramps. The only evidence: in 1890, her personal physician John Russel Reynolds noted in a medical journal the “great value” of cannabis in treating an array of conditions.

Cannabis: Open to cultural interpretation

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What Are The Stages Of Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia can develop slowly, often during the teenage years, and for various reasons may initially be difficult to diagnose.

Early adulthood is the most common age for schizophrenia to appear, and there must be symptoms for at least six months for a diagnosis to be made. Men with schizophrenia may start experiencing symptoms in their late teens or early 20s, whilst for women symptoms may present later, up to their early 30s.

There are three phases of schizophrenia: the beginning stage the acute/active stage and the residual/recovery stage. The beginning stage could last for days, but equally might continue for years. Lack of one specific trigger means that it might be difficult to identify, and behavioural changes might be subtle.

Various Assessment Measures For Prodrome

The recent resurgent interest in the field of prodromal research has led to the development of various assessment tools. These tools can identify symptoms in the phase which calls for intervention. The various tools include:

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The Four Stages Of Schizophrenia

The different stages symptoms of schizophrenia can easily be confused as something other than schizophrenia because they dont just resemble symptoms from other disorders, they are symptoms from other disorders.

A person may begin feeling a sense of depression, anxiety, nervousness, and other typical and normal mood fluctuations. For the normal onset of schizophrenia during the late teens and early adulthood, these are very common feelings to have anyways as we travel through our lives and encounter the stresses of adulthood, careers, relationships, etc.

The more obvious symptoms to look for in people with schizophrenia are out-of-character anger outbursts, strange behaviors, or social withdrawal. The early stages of schizophrenia can last for months or years before developing into the acute stage.

What Are The Causes Of Schizophrenia

If you or a loved one has schizophrenia, its natural to wonder why. Where did this come from? Why me? Why my loved one? What are the causes of schizophrenia?

Doctors and researchers, too, want to know why. Theyre working hard to discover the answer to get to the root of this serious mental illness. The more they understand about what causes schizophrenia, the better they can help the people living with it.

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Premorbid Cognitive And Scholastic Performance

Schizophrenia patients, when considered as a group, have intellectual impairments, some of which predate the onset of psychotic symptoms. Individuals who later develop schizophrenia have been found to perform below average on standardized measures of intelligence in childhood, adolescence and young adulthood, and to show lower premorbid IQ than the general population The lower the IQ, the higher is the risk for later development of schizophrenia.

Poor school performance can be seen as a premorbid sign. Repeating a grade, difficulties in completing the final level of schooling, and social and behavioural difficulties have also been found to be risk factors for developing schizophrenia. In the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort, 14-year-olds who were below their expected normal grade were three times more likely to develop schizophrenia than those in their normal grade, but low school marks did not predict schizophrenia. Developmental continuity, indicated by early developmental deviation in the first year of life associated with lower school performance at age 16 years, has been found to be stronger among children who develop psychoses later in life than among normal controls and those admitted to hospital for non-psychotic psychiatric disorder.