| The
Treatment Of Schizophrenia |
| Schizophrenia
is treated in two general
ways: by medications and various
therapies. Medications directly
affect the brain chemistry
to treat hallucinations, anxiety,
mood swings, and other symptoms.
However, medications can have
a number of side effects that
can discourage an individual
from continuing this type
of treatment. Psychotherapy
(also known as talk therapy)
is very important in the treatment
process.
Although psychosocial treatments
are very useful, medications
have proven to be the most
effective tool to treat schizophrenia. |
| What
Is The Outcome For People With
Schizophrenia? |
| Schizophrenia
is a serious illness and may
cause great problems in your
life.
The first line of treatment
is usually medications followed
by individual and group therapies.
Today there are no cures;
however, treatment is readily
available and effective. Outcomes
can be very good for most
of us, especially if we seek
treatment early on in our
illness.
Scizophrenia is not necessarily
a chronic condition , as your
docor will comfirm. About
30 % of all patients recover
completely. |
| Talking
about Schizophrenia |
The
symptoms of schizophrenia
produce suffering that keeps
us from seeking help and moving
forward with recovery.
Trusting a mental health professional,
such as a psychiatrist or
a therapist, is essential
to our success in recovery
with our schizophrenia, and
a trusting relationship has
to be earned. |
| Talking
With Your Psychiatrist |
A
psychiatrist is a medical
doctor who special-izes in
the care of the mentally ill.
The psychiatrist interprets
medical and psychological
tests and makes major decisions
about diagnosis and treatment.
A psychiatrist makes diagnoses,
prescribes medications, and
has the authority to admit
someone to the psychiatric
hospital. In addition, some
psychiatrists also provide
psychotherapy.
At first, we might be sheepish
about discussing our symptoms.
Most likely,the psychiatrist
has heard about every odd
sort of symptom in existence,and
nothing will be shocking to
him or her. So, the psychiatrist
is on our side–an ally.
What many of us do is test
the waters. We begin in small
ways to be open with the psychiatrist
and gradually find out that
he or she is someone who can
be trusted. Over time, complete
openness is often the outcome,
and one that leads to a better
understanding of our symptoms,
and the psychiatrist's improved
ability to offer the best
treatments.In the early stages
it is always helpful to talk
to the psychiatrist about
your treatment goals, to see
where the whole process is
going. You can find a symptoms
checklist later in this brochure
so that you can make the best
use of your visit.
Learn more about schizophrenia.
Read about it. Talk about
it with other patients to
get a better understanding
of what the psychiatrist says.
Ask questions during the session
about things that don't make
sense or aren't clear. Rely
on your psychiatrist to provide
feedback and guidance thatworks. |
| Talking
With Your Therapist |
In
addition to medication received
from a psychiatrist, most
of us participate in various
forms of psychotherapy. The
therapist is usually a social
worker, or counselor with
at least a master's degree.
Often a psychologist (a doctorate
level mental health professional)
will also provide psychotherapy
and other forms of counseling.
While the psychiatrist has
strong training in the medical
aspects of schizophrenia,
the therapist usually has
expertise in how to help with
the hang-ups we keep to ourselves.
A therapist helps us to keep
things in perspective. If
we have life problems, the
therapist wants to hear about
them and wants to join us
in coming up with solutions. |
| Talking
With Your Friends |
How
much we tell our friends about
schizophrenia is often a matter
of how trustworthy we think
they are. It is a good idea
to seek guidance from your
therapist on how much to share.
This is a touchy issue, because
stigma and rejection are so
often the
experience of those with schizophrenia.
For those of us fortunate
enough to have genuine and
steadfast friends, sharing
the nature of our illness
can make the friendship closer. |
| Talking
With Your Family |
For
most of us with schizophrenia,
our family is the core of
our support system. It is
our parents who initially
provide the largest share
of help;however, siblings
or other relatives become
involved as well.If the family
members are to provide needed
support, it is important that
they have adequate information
on schizophrenia and our experi-ence
with the illness. You should
tell your family what your
mental health professional
thinks the outlook is for
recovery and your adjust-ment
to the illness. |
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