What is schizophrenia?
Schizophrenia is a mental health condition resulting in people having difficulty thinking clearly and remaining grounded in reality. People who have schizophrenia experience psychosis, including having auditory hallucinations and delusions, disorganized speech, trouble thinking, lack of motivation, and constant thoughts about people plotting against them.
Schizophrenia impacts both men and women, and onset most commonly occurs during people’s twenties and thirties. Although rarer, teenagers can experience schizophrenia, too. Schizophrenia among teenagers is often difficult to notice because common symptoms of teenage schizophrenia are consistent with typical teenage behavior. These symptoms include increased irritability, sleep problems, and self-isolation.
There is a strong genetic risk factor for schizophrenia, and scientists believe that a person’s environment may also play a role in causing the condition. There is some evidence that substance abuse and drug use during teen years may contribute to a person developing schizophrenia later in life.
Although schizophrenia can be an extremely debilitating condition, people can manage their schizophrenia and live normally. Treatment is often most effective if administered early, and treatments mostly focus on managing symptoms. Common treatments for schizophrenia involve antipsychotic medications, cognitive behavioral therapy, and family education programs. Family education programs are often extremely important, as many people with schizophrenia rely on their family members for help.
What are the signs and symptoms of schizophrenia?
Schizophrenia has a variety of different manifestations and symptoms. Common symptoms include:
- Talking with jumbled speech
- Experiencing paranoia that people are seeking to harm you
- Hearing voices
- Appearing disconnected from the present moment
- Exhibiting abnormal motor behavior, such as sitting or standing in unnatural postures
- Delusions that there are hidden messages in print media or other communications
- Demonstrating a lack of insight about one’s situation and surroundings
Another common symptom of schizophrenia is suicidal thoughts or actions. People who experience schizophrenia may feel hopeless, and they may consider suicide to be the only way to change their situation. Other people who experience schizophrenia may engage in suicidal behaviors as part of a delusional episode.
Often, people who have schizophrenia are unaware of their mental health condition. Accordingly, friends and family must help the individual access treatment from behavioral health professionals. In some cases of schizophrenia, the individual is unable to care for themselves and may be at risk of self-harm. If a person is ever at immediate risk of harming themselves or others, call 988 immediately.
In many cases, people with schizophrenia also suffer from other mental health conditions. These other mental health conditions may include obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, or substance abuse issues. Clinicians refer to people who experience schizophrenia and substance use issues simultaneously as having a dual diagnosis or co-occurring mental health conditions. Clinicians have found that treating one condition in dual-diagnosis cases typically improves symptoms of the other condition.
How Aurora Behavioral Health in Tempe and Glendale can help manage schizophrenia
People who have schizophrenia and their loved ones need to know that help is available. Behavioral health treatment programs can lead to positive changes in people’s well being, and with the right treatments, people can improve their mental health. With treatment it is possible to have schizophrenia and also be a productive member of society.
At Aurora Behavioral Health, we treat schizophrenia and a range of other mental health conditions. Our treatment programs include inpatient mental health programs and outpatient programs. Patients who have schizophrenia and enroll in our inpatient treatment programs receive 24/7 monitoring and medication management services. Our outpatient offerings include partial hospitalization programs and intensive outpatient programs. We can also tailor our programs to address substance abuse issues in dual-diagnosis cases.
During treatment programs for schizophrenia, we employ a range of evidence-based methods. These methods include administering antipsychotic medications and cognitive behavioral therapy sessions. These sessions may include group therapy settings. Additionally, each treatment program has a family education component to help the patient transition back to home life.
Our clinical team at Aurora Behavioral Health understands that schizophrenia impacts every patient differently and that patients have a range of unique needs. Accordingly, our team works hard to customize treatment programs for each patient’s unique situation and treat each patient’s condition holistically. With the right care and skilled team, patients may improve their mental health conditions and go on to lead normal, healthy lives.
Get treatment for schizophrenia at Aurora Behavioral Health in Glendale and Tempe, AZ
Treatment for schizophrenia and other mental health conditions is available in Glendale and Tempe at Aurora Behavioral Health. Our team understands that each patient has unique challenges and needs, and we provide a customized treatment plan for each patient. We treat patients across Arizona at our Glendale or Tempe behavioral health hospitals.
The first step toward treatment is to contact our team. You can call us directly at 877.870.7012 at any time. A team member is available 24/7. Alternatively, you can contact us online, and we will reach out to you as soon as possible.
We can help answer any question you have about our substance abuse treatment programs and our behavioral health hospitals. Additionally, a member of our team can help schedule you or a loved one for a free, confidential mental health assessment.
Resources
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/schizophrenia/symptoms-causes/syc-20354443
https://www.webmd.com/schizophrenia/schizophrenia-outlook
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/schizophrenia/index.shtml
https://www.nami.org/About-Mental-Illness/Mental-Health-Conditions/Schizophrenia