The primary treatment for schizophrenia and similar thought disorders is medication. Unfortunately, compliance with a medication regimen is often one of the largest problems associated with the ongoing treatment of schizophrenia. Because people who live with this disorder often go off of their medication during periods throughout their lives, the repercussions of this loss of treatment are acutely felt not only by the individual, but by their family and friends as well.

Schizophrenia appears to be a combination of a thought disorder, mood disorder, and anxiety disorder. The medical management of schizophrenia often requires a combination of antipsychotic, antidepressant, and ant anxiety medication. One of the biggest challenges of treatment is that many people don't keep taking the medications prescribed for the disorder. Medication therapies as well as numerous psychological rehabilitation programs are the mainstays of treatment. To learn more about non-drug therapies, click on the "Helping Yourself" button at the top of this page. Goals of therapy are to reduce schizophrenic symptoms, prevent return of symptoms, minimize side effects from medications, and help the individual function more normally in society.

Their behavior may seem odd, unusual or even bizarre at times. They sometimes hear voices, talk to themselves, or respond to imaginary fears. 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.

Often, the metaphor of a malfunctioning telephone switchboard is useful to explain the way the brain of a schizophrenia patient works. In Schizophrenia: Straight Talk for Family and Friends, Maryellen Walsh describes this well. "In most people the brain's switching system works well. Incoming perceptions are sent along appropriate signal paths, the switching process goes off without a hitch, and appropriate feelings, thoughts, and actions go back out again to the world....in the brain afflicted with schizophrenia...perceptions come in but get routed along the wrong path or get jammed or end up at the wrong destination."

After treating the first psychotic episode, most schizophrenic patients should continue treatment for at least 1 year. If the individual has multiple psychotic episodes, then treatment should last for at least 5 years. Patients with schizophrenia should be evaluated at least annually to determine the need to continue medication. Continuing antipsychotic medications indefinitely should be considered for patients with a history of serious suicide attempts or violent, aggressive behavior.

Psychotherapy of some type is highly recommended for people suffering from schizophrenia. By adding behavioral treatments for schizophrenia to a medical treatment regimen, the rate of relapse is further reduced, to only 25%. A variety of types of psychotherapy are available to schizophrenics. Cognitive therapy, psycho education, and family therapy can all help schizophrenics deal with their symptoms and learn to operate in society. Social skills training are of great importance, in order to teach the patient specific ways to manage themselves in social situations.


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