Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia develops in early adulthood, often causing severe problems like delusions and hallucinations that are an obstacle to regular life. Chima Asikaiwe, MD, and Cecilia Chanda, PMHNP, provide specialized care for schizophrenia patients at Greathope Psychiatry and Behavioral Health Services in Garland, Texas. They offer holistic, compassionate support for patients and their families combined with the most effective medications to reduce the condition’s severity. To benefit from expert schizophrenia treatment, call the office today or book an appointment online.

What is schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is a psychiatric disorder requiring lifelong treatment. People with schizophrenia experience a range of distressing symptoms that typically include:

Hallucinations

Hallucinations usually involve hearing or seeing something that isn’t there. You might speak to people only you can see or hear voices in your head. Hallucinations are so real to people with schizophrenia that it can be hard for them to accept they’re not.

Delusions

Delusions are thoughts and ideas you believe are true but have no basis in reality. Delusions might take the form of paranoia, where you think someone is watching or chasing you. Or you might be convinced that some catastrophe like an earthquake will happen at a specific time. Most people with schizophrenia have delusions similar to these.

Disorganized thinking

Disorganized thinking causes communication problems. You might respond to a question with a response that makes no sense or talk incoherently.

Abnormal behaviors

Abnormal behaviors take many forms. You might stand or sit in strange positions, refuse to follow instructions, or make random movements.

Schizophrenia makes it especially challenging to work or study. You might experience little or no pleasure in life, neglect hygiene, and become socially isolated. People with schizophrenia often think about taking their own life.

Schizophrenia symptoms start affecting men when they’re in their early to mid-20s. In women, symptoms usually appear in the late 20s. It’s rare for schizophrenia to begin in childhood or adults over 45.

What causes schizophrenia?

Studies indicate that schizophrenia is a neurological (brain-related) condition rather than a psychological problem.

Schizophrenia also has genetic links, as several people in the same family often have the condition. Chemical imbalances in your brain could also influence schizophrenia development.

How is schizophrenia treated?

Patients with schizophrenia require specialized care. Greathope Psychiatry and Behavioral Health Services psychiatrists have considerable experience in helping people manage their schizophrenia.

Medications play a critical role in the successful management of schizophrenia. Antipsychotic drugs reduce your symptoms by affecting dopamine levels in your brain. This neurotransmitter influences mood and thought processes and enables your brain’s nerve cells (neurons) to function more normally.

Your Greathope Psychiatry and Behavioral Health Services provider may prescribe other medications, such as antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs, depending on your symptoms. Some people require electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), which uses electrical energy to improve brain function.

If you worry you might have schizophrenia or want to explore different treatments for an existing condition, call Greathope Psychiatry and Behavioral Health Services today or book an appointment online.