Content
Schizophrenia is a psychiatric disorder in which the person completely or partially loses contact with the objective reality, and it is common for him to see, hear or feel sensations that do not exist in reality.
Paranoid schizophrenia is the most common subtype of schizophrenia, in which the delusions of persecution or the appearance of other people predominate, which often makes the person suspicious, aggressive and violent.
This disease has no cure, but it can be controlled with the monitoring of the psychiatrist, psychologist and use of medications. Know the other types of schizophrenia.
Main symptoms
People with paranoid schizophrenia have the following main symptoms:
- Believe that they are being persecuted or betrayed;
- Feeling that you have super powers;
- Hallucinations, like hearing voices or seeing something that is not real;
- Aggressiveness, agitation and tendency to be violent.
Although these are the most common symptoms of this subtype of schizophrenia, other symptoms may occur, although less frequently, such as changes in memory, lack of concentration or social isolation, for example.
How to confirm the diagnosis
To diagnose schizophrenia, the psychiatrist evaluates, through a clinical interview, signs and symptoms presented by the person, in addition to information given by family members or caregivers, for example.
In some cases, it may also be recommended to perform tests such as computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging, for example, to exclude other diseases that can cause similar symptoms, such as brain tumor or dementia, for example, as currently there are no laboratory tests that allow diagnose the disorder.
Possible causes
It is not known for sure what causes schizophrenia, but it is thought that this is a disease influenced by genetics, which added to environmental factors, such as viral infections during pregnancy, can influence the development of the brain and lead to the appearance of this disorder. In addition, the appearance of schizophrenia may be related to a change in the levels of neurotransmitters.
There is also an increased risk of developing schizophrenia in people who have suffered negative psychological experiences, sexual abuse or some form of physical abuse.
How the treatment is done
Paranoid schizophrenia has no cure, but continuous treatment should be performed to avoid exacerbations of the disease.
Generally, the person is accompanied by a psychiatrist, and can also be integrated into a team consisting of a psychologist, a social worker and a nurse who are specialists in schizophrenia, who can help improve the person's quality of life through psychotherapy, monitoring in daily activities and providing support and information about the disease to families.
The drugs that are usually prescribed by the doctor are antipsychotics, which help to control the symptoms of the disease. Those that are usually prescribed by the doctor are second generation antipsychotics, because they have fewer side effects, such as aripiprazole (Abilify), olanzapine (Zyprexa), paliperidone (Invega), quetiapine (Seroquel) or risperidone (Risperdal), for example.
In case there is no response to the treatment indicated by the doctor, the psychiatrist can indicate the realization of electroconvulsive therapy, also called ECT. It is important to inform family members or caregivers about this disease, as psychoeducation can help to reduce relapses and improve the person's quality of life.