Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a severe mental illness caused by brain abnormalities such as abnormal chemistry or growth in the brain cells. There is no way to prevent schizophrenia and no medical test to determine its presence.

Symptoms

Schizophrenia means “split-mind”; however, it is not the same as split personality or multiple personality disorder.

Symptoms typically emerge in the teens or twenties as a result of stressful events. Schizophrenia frequently disrupts daily life, making even basic self-care impossible. It often co-occurs with substance abuse or is concurrent with other mental health issues such as depression.

Symptoms of schizophrenia typically develop slowly; it is often years before extreme problems are seen. Symptoms of schizophrenia can include:

• Hallucinations or delusions
• Irritability or tense feelings
• Difficulty sleeping
• Difficulty concentrating and disorganized behavior
• Problems with attention, decision making and memory
• Lack of emotion
• Loss of interest in activities
• Lack of energy or productivity
• False paranoia that someone is trying to do them harm

Diagnosis

Prior to defining a treatment program, our trained psychiatrists conduct in-depth evaluations of each patient, following the classification for schizophrenia in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. In addition, our diagnosis involves conducting a full mental status assessment and family interviews.

In rare cases, blood tests or imaging tests such as an MRI or CT scan are conducted in order to rule out certain other conditions.

Treatment

We offer a wide variety of schizophrenia treatments for both inpatient and outpatient needs, including therapy and rehabilitative service options for schizophrenia patients. Such treatment can include:

• Medication--at times antipsychotic medications will be used to treat schizophrenia.
• Family support--we work with patients’ families to ensure they have the most supportive environment possible.