Schizophrenia Treatment

  • Schizophrenia
    Schizophrenia affects approximately 1% of the world population and has a ubiquitous distribution. Schizophrenia  cuts across boundaries of gender, socioeconomic class, race, caste, creed and geographic location. This implies that anybody can be affected by schizophrenia. It is considered as the “greatest disabler of youth” as it most commonly affects persons in the productive period of their life between 15 and 35 years of age. The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified schizophrenia as one of the ten most disabling disorders affecting all human beings.

Stories

  • My Daughter has Schizophrenia for the last 25 years
    Amrit Bakhshy recounts his brave though agonizing journey of caring for his daughter, Richa, who developed schizophrenia as a teen in school and his tireless effort to build better lives for people with this mental disorder. Panic and Bewilderment A long distance call in early 1991, in my office at the World Trade Centre, Mumbai changed our lives forever. The caller was the principal of a well-known girls’ school in Dehradun, where my daughter Richa was a boarder. Richa had a sort of…
  • The Schizophrenist
    Excerpts from the book Fallen, Standing, my life as a schizophrenist by Reshma Valliapan, Ashoka Fellow and artist-activist for the rights of persons with mental illness. Reshma was diagnosed with schizophrenia at the age of 22. She is founder director of The Mind Arcs and The Red Door  The meds just suppress everything. It becomes a form of control. It took away my voice. Not only did it repress my so called symptoms, it repressed ME. The only person who could stand up for me…
  • I’m Insane
    SCHIZOPHRENIA AWARENESS WEEK A poem by a person with schizophrenia   A whirlwind of pain these days are When will I again be free But I know I must not look far But step by step as I see The doctor is kind and tells me Don’t fret the sun will yet shine And I know I can still be happy Even though I am not fine The world is going ahead And I am left behind And all for the sickness in my head A sickness of my mind And there are no one’s steps to follow In this darkened cruel place And my…
  • I am comfortable with myself and with the world again
    SCHIZOPHRENIA AWARENESS WEEK 2016 Mahesh (name changed) was caught unawares by schizophrenia which rendered him unsuitable for the world outside and for all those parameters which tag a person ‘normal’. He was unfit for school, for friends, for academics and for competition of any kind. Rudderless as he was, SCARF provided him with that much-needed cushion to re-discover himself and find his comfort zone. He recounts his fight here and how he managed to come to terms with it.…
  • Schizophrenia Signs and Symptoms
    What are the signs and symptoms of Schizophrenia?  The symptoms exhibited at different stages are different. The symptoms do not appear suddenly. They creep in stealthily and may be present for weeks to months before they progress to a full blown state. Stages of Schizophrenia elaborates how the symptoms progress. The signs and symptoms of schizophrenia are broadly grouped into two: Positive symptoms  Negative symptoms. Positive symptoms of schizophrenia are behaviors and…
  • Schizophrenia Stages
    The symptoms of Schizophrenia progress slowly. There are broadly two stages in terms of the progression of Schizophrenia:   Prodrome Stage Acute Stage Prodrome Stage In the very beginning there are some “Behavioral changes” which can pass for normal variations in daily life. It is very difficult to state that at this stage they clearly indicate a disorder. These changes are not just a set of particular symptoms but a definite variation in the routine behavior of the individual…
  • Schizophrenia
    What is Schizophrenia “A slowly progressive deterioration of the entire personality which involves mainly the affective life and expresses itself in disorders of feeling thought and conduct and a tendency to withdraw from reality”          -  Eugen Bleuler  Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe multi-faceted and complex disorder of the mind, now being increasingly considered a brain disorder. It affects approximately 1% of the world population and has a…
  • Schizophrenia Management
    Effective management of schizophrenia always involves a multidisciplinary team of psychiatrists, social workers, psychologists, occupational therapists and  families. Medication is the mainstay of treatment in schizophrenia. There is a wide range of medication to choose from depending on the person’s age, nature of illness, affordability, side effect profile etc. Treatment in schizophrenia does not stop with symptom control. It extends to include rehabilitation and reintegration back…
  • Schizophrenia Causes and Risk Factors
    What causes schizophrenia? There is no single cause for this ailment. Several factors play a role in the causation of this illness.  First and foremost are the genetic factors which are in place right from a person’s intra-uterine life. Then come the environmental factors which include adversities in life.  A combination of genetic predisposition, inherent vulnerability and the presence of environmental factors such as prolonged stress seem to lead to schizophrenia. Other…
  • Schizophrenia Diagnosis and Tests
    Are there investigations to diagnose Schizophrenia? There is no single diagnostic test to confirm this illness. The information provided by an observant family member combined with the doctor’s clinical acumen go a long way in arriving at a diagnosis. As a family member watch out for these signs and symptoms of Schizophrenia. Then how is this condition diagnosed? Like seizures or migraine this is a clinical entity which is diagnosed purely by a good psychiatrist’s diagnostic skills. The…