Schizophrenia

1. Schizophrenia Tiffany Becker Denise Keown Heather Baltz

2. Overview of Schizophrenia • What is schizophrenia? • Schizophrenia behaviors • Does schizophrenia affect the brain? • What causes schizophrenia? • Who gets schizophrenia? • Early Onset Schizophrenia • Schizophrenia Facts

3. What is Schizophrenia? • It is a chronic, severe, and disabling brain disease • It affects a person’s ability to “think straight” • It maybe one disorder, or it may be many disorders • Thoughts of a schizophrenic may come and go rapidly • The severity of the symptoms and long-lasting, chronic pattern of schizophrenia often cause a high degree of disability

4. Schizophrenia Behaviors • A schizophrenic person may exhibit very different kinds of behaviors at different times • People with it often suffer with terrifying symptoms • Just as normal individuals view the word from their own perspectives, schizophrenic people have their own perceptions of reality

5. Does Schizophrenia affect the brain? Schizophrenia can affect the way your brain receives information in several ways. -Your brain receives an overload of information -You become more sensitive to stimuli around you -Your brain receives information that is not accurate -Your brain may store information incorrectly

6. What causes schizophrenia? • There is no known cause of it • No specific gene has been found • No biomedical defect has been proven responsible • Scientist do not yet understand all the factors necessary to produce it • It runs in families • Children of a parent with it have a 10% chance of developing it, by comparison to the risk of the general population having a 1% chance • Studies indicate it has some heredity basis

7. Who gets schizophrenia? • Nearly 3 million Americans, approx. 1%, will develop it during their lives • It affects men and women with equal frequency • Most men start to see signs in their teen or twenties • Most women start to see signs in their twenties or early thirties

8. Continued • Children under the age of 13 very rarely will develop it, but it is possible for children as young as 6 • It is found all over the world

9. Early Onset Schizophrenia • The term early onset is used when children develop it before adolescence • Early onset affects about 1 in 40,000 children, compared to 1 in 100 adults • Children with early onset experience difficulty in managing everyday life and have hallucinations, delusions, social withdrawal, flattened emotions, increased risk of suicide, and loss of social and personal care skills

10. Schizophrenia Facts • It is not split personality • Individuals with it are not violent, more typically they prefer to withdrawal and be left alone • Individuals with it have a higher rate of suicide than the general population, often prediction is difficult • Not everyone who acts paranoid or distrustful has schizophrenia

11. Continued • Many people with it sleep too little, or too much • Where are people with schizophrenia? -6% homeless and living in shelters -6% live in jails or prisons -5-6% live in hospitals -10% live in nursing homes -20% live in supervised housing -25% live with a family member -28% live independently

12. Symptoms of schizophrenia • Hallucinations- Person senses things that don’t really exist • Delusions- Personal belief that has no basis on reality • Disorganized Speech- Occurs when the person’s speech becomes hard to follow

13. “Negative Symptoms” • Face shows no expression • When talking, the person does not give much information • Person has problems being motivated to anything • Extremely confused, disorganized, or withdrawn behavior

14. Types of Schizophrenia • Paranoid schizophrenia • Disorganized schizophrenia • Catatonic schizophrenia • Undifferentiated schizophrenia • Residual schizophrenia

15. Types of Schizophrenia • Paranoid Schizophrenia • Most common • May have frightening thoughts and hear threatening voices • Usually develops later in life

16. Symptoms • Confusion • Withdrawal • Anger • Hallucinations and delusions

17. Disorganized Schizophrenia • Also know as hebephrenic • Rare type • Unpredictable behaviors • Inappropriate reactions to a situation

18. Catatonic Schizophrenia • Very rare type • Statue like characteristics • Followed by periods of intense activity

19. Undifferentiated Schizophrenia • Symptoms do not fit any category • Symptoms of many types

20. Residual Schizophrenia • No symptoms, but signs of illness still exist

21. Lifestyle Changes • Have regular appointments with doctor or case manager • Be very cautious about what you put in your body • Learn and practice good stress management techniques • Do what is necessary to be as well as you can

22. Lifestyle continued • Symptom monitor

23. How is it diagnosed? • Present symptoms • Medical history • Use of substances such as alcohol, cocaine, heroine, or other street drugs • Response to medications that treat schizophrenia

24. What else can it be? • Borderline Schizophrenia • Schizoaffective Disorder • Bipolar Disorder/Manic Depression • Personality Disorder • Dual Diagnosis • Childhood Mental Illness

25. Books for dealing with schizophrenia • Coping with Schizophrenia: A Guide for Families by Kim Tornval Mueser • I Am Not Sick, I Don’t Need Help! By Xavier Amador, Anna Lica Johanson (contributor)

26. Treatment Options • Old “ Typical” Antipsychotics • New “Atypical” Antipsychotics • Antipsychotic Injections • Talking Treatments/Education/Support Groups

27. Treatment Facts • Antipsychotics also called neurotics • Medication is used to treat symptoms • Medicines work in 3 ways and serve as a foundation • May take 2-3 weeks to notice the benefits of medication • Medication and other changes necessary for children/teens

28. Continued • Medication misconceptions- a “chemical straightjacket” • Why would an individual with schizophrenia not want to take medicines?

29. Old “Atypical” Antipsychotics • Haldol • Mellaril • Thorazine- first drug produced • Effective in 50-60% of people • If continued, reduces relapse rates for at least 2 years

30. Continued • Side effects: drowsiness, restlessness, dry mouth, blurred vision, sedation, weight gain, epileptic fits, rapid heart beat, constipation, movement disorders. • Movement Disorders: Tardire Dyskinesia (15-20% of patients who have taken medicines for many years)

31. New “Atypical” Antipsychotics • Number of meds has greatly increased since the 1990’s • Clozapine • Risperdol • Seroquel • Zyprexa • Side Effects- Similar to those of old antipsychotics without the TD.

32. Continued • Clozapine side effects also agranulocytosis (loss of white blood cells that fight infection. Usually the last med prescribed for those that aren’t responding to treatment.

33. Anitpsychotic Injections • Haldol • Prolixin • Trilafon • Injectable preparation of typical antipsychotic drugs • Used as maintenance treatment in chronic schizophrenia, to ensure compliance and reduce relapse

34. Talking Treatment/Ed./Support Groups • Medications don’t relieve the behavioral symptoms of schizophrenia • Inpatient care and residential placement • Case management available in most states • Regular contact with psychiatrist for medicine reviews is necessary

35. Continued • Counseling • Education • Therapeutic Recreation • Rehabilitation • Support Groups

36. Most common reason for relapse • Stop taking medication • Use of alcohol or street drugs

37. Case Study