Schizophrenia: Complex... Chronic... Treatable

Written by Anne McNelis, L.C.S.W., Director of Clinical Services at Transitions Mental Health Services

Two million Americans today are affected by an illness known as schizophrenia. Much like cancer or diabetes, schizophrenia is a complex, chronic medical illness that is highly treatable. Unlike these other illnesses, schizophrenia is stigmatized and highly misunderstood. Our society is often left to the devices of “sensational” news journalism or Hollywood movies to understand this disorder of the brain, which can lead to widespread myths that categorize individuals with schizophrenia as “split personalities” or “violent psychopaths.” The two million individuals affected by schizophrenia do not have “split personalities” and most are not violent, especially if treated for the illness.

What is schizophrenia then? This brain disorder interferes with one’s ability to think clearly, make decisions, relate to others and manage their emotions. Most significant characteristics of this illness are the prominent symptoms of hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that are not really there), or delusions (believing something that is not true or real) which one cognitively experiences. When one’s cognitive state is functioning in such a disorganized and erratic manner, it makes sense that behaviorally they are more likely to be slow in their movement, prone to rhythmic, ritualistic gestures, have difficulty finishing tasks, and may lack motivation and energy. Because the cognitive state is distorted by these symptoms of schizophrenia, individuals with this illness can be frightened of the world around them, possibly having trouble distinguishing the everyday sights, sounds and feelings surrounding them. The illness can significantly affect their insight, which can impact their ability to recognize they have this illness and, therefore, to follow through well on treatment. They may be extra-sensitive to their environment’s stimulus and may even have trouble distinguishing themselves from other people or from objects. When we understand the symptoms and this distorted perception of the world around them, it makes sense that they generally can have intense periods of extreme withdrawal and isolation.

So who gets schizophrenia? Research has found strong genetic links for this illness, much like other health conditions that run in family genes. If you do not have schizophrenia in your family, your chances are 99 out of 100 that you will not get it. If a parent or sibling has it, you have a 90% chance of not developing it and if both of your parents have schizophrenia, you have a 60% chance you will not develop the illness. Although the illness can occur at any age, 75% of those diagnosed developed the illness between the ages of 16-25 years old. The illness can be seen in children, and new cases of schizophrenia are rare after the age of 40 years old. The illness tends to occur slightly more with men than women. The exact cause is still unknown, but brain scans of individuals with schizophrenia are comparatively different in structure and chemical balance from those of “normal” brains.

Treatment advances in the last ten to twenty years have led to great success in stabilizing this illness. There is still no known cure, but a combination of medications and psychosocial programming have been very successful in managing the symptoms and supporting greater quality of living. Older antipsychotic medications, also known as neuroleptics, help relieve the “positive” (added) symptoms, such as hallucinations and delusions/thinking problems. Today’s newer “atypical” antipsychotics combat both the “positive” and “negative” symptoms, which include those functioning abilities that have been “taken away” by the illness: loss of energy, lack of interest, and cognitive abilities. Providers like Transitions offer psychosocial rehabilitation services, including supportive individual and group counseling, psycho-educational instruction, skill building training, peer support groups, and vocational programming. When these services are combined with medication, research shows that those individuals receiving these two components manage best with this illness.

We, at Transitions Mental Health Services, believe that all individuals, regardless of their specific mental illness, can be educated about their illness and how it affects them, and can be empowered to recover from their condition. We believe individuals affected by schizophrenia, as well as other mental illnesses, can lead productive, successful, fulfilling lives. With our support, counseling, education and vocational skill-building, we have successfully trained and placed many individuals affected by mental illness in service positions, industries, and organizations through both supported employment and sheltered work opportunities.

If you would like more information on schizophrenia, mental illness, or Transitions Mental Health Services, please contact our office and ask to speak with a therapist. (Contact information is in the "About Us" section of this blog.)