Schizophrenia is a long-lasting or chronic brain disorder where the person develops delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, behavior, and motor activity.
It affects their thinking, decision-making, emotions, relationships with their loved ones and their public and private behavior, and comprehension of social reality. Statistics show that it affects 1 in 100 people worldwide.
There is no permanent cure for schizophrenia, but doctors can treat it, and they can keep the symptoms under check.
Schizophrenia treatment involves integrating psychiatric medication to help the neurological functioning, psychotherapy to help with emotional regulation and psychosocial functioning, and social and community support to help the patients rehabilitate into society.
History and Evolution of Schizophrenia Treatment
In the early 20th century Schizophrenia was misinterpreted to be a dangerous mental disorder that had no cure. It was considered a hereditary mental illness that causes split personality leading to delusions and brain deterioration.
The affected were deemed to be abnormal people who are a burden to society. Psychiatric asylums began to isolate schizophrenic patients from society. The treatment methods used in the early 1900s aimed to control and subdue psychotic symptoms rather than to ease the patient’s suffering.
For instance, doctors induced fever in schizophrenic patients because they observed people with fever had reduced psychotic symptoms.
Similarly, other treatment methods like hydrotherapy (subject patients to very hot, or freezing water) and sleep therapy (make patients sleep for months together) were practiced on patients to repress their symptoms. Some doctors suggested euthanasia as they believed that people with schizophrenia would only get worse over time.
Today, the methods used to treat patients come from an understanding of easing the sufferer’s pain. The discovery of antipsychotic drugs in the 1950s was the first step towards constructive treatment methods.
Nowadays, a combination of medication, psychotherapy, and psychosocial therapy help the patient understand the effects of schizophrenia and helps them manage their symptoms.
The Need for Comprehensive and Integrative Treatment
Along with treating the individual for the disorder, there is a need to help them learn the skills required to rehabilitate in the world and help them understand and cope with a loved one suffering from the disorder.
Studies on schizophrenia show that although medications help them prevent relapse, psychosocial treatments help them better their quality of life. It is also important to note that there are multiple stakeholders in cases of schizophrenia, like patients, families, administrators, clinicians, and law enforcement.
There is a need to provide such interventions to the caretakers of the person affected. They need guidance and support in maintaining their mental health, especially if the person with schizophrenia is someone on whom the family is dependant.
Patient-Focused Therapies and Treatments
Individual personal therapy provided by a licensed mental health professional such as a psychiatrist, psychiatric social worker, or a psychologist could help them focus on the problems they face with situations in their life with themselves and others.
They can help learn ways to cope, skills to communicate better, and sustain themselves. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy helps people with schizophrenia break destructive thought patterns that they may have developed and delusions and change their core beliefs.
It allows them to set goals, build self-awareness and confidence in themselves, which they might otherwise lack. Social skills training helps them learn behavioral, communication, assertiveness, and other social skills necessary to lead a social and professional life.
They use role-plays and other techniques to practice these skills individually or in a group to give them a controlled, safe environment to practice.
Family-focused Therapy
Family health and community well-being play an essential role in managing the symptoms and the mental health of a person with schizophrenia. They can have a lot of responsibilities and expectations to adapt to support the person.
Hence, educating the caretakers, the family members, and the community plays an essential part in the treatment. Family therapy can immensely help families with children who may not understand a parent having the illness, or family members who are managing work and taking care of the person.
It can also help them all deal with the varying level of expressed emotions and psychotic episodes that could lead to yelling, fights, and shouting or long times of silence and stillness.
Family therapy aims to provide education, stress reduction, support, emotional regulation, a solution-focused environment, and a safe place for the family to express their experiences and needs.
Hence, a comprehensive and integrative schizophrenia treatment allows the patients, families, and clinicians to work collaboratively towards everyone’s well-being.
