Schizophrenia is a psychiatric disorder in which the person completely or partially loses contact with 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 illusions of persecution or greatness predominate, which often make the person suspicious, aggressive and violent.
- There is no cure for this disease.
- But it can be controlled with the support of the psychiatrist.
- The psychologist and the use of medications.
- Meet the other types of schizophrenia.
People with paranoid schizophrenia have the following main symptoms
While these are the most common symptoms of this subtype of schizophrenia, other symptoms may occur, such as memory changes, lack of concentration, or social isolation, for example, but less frequently.
To diagnose schizophrenia, the psychiatrist evaluates a set of signs and symptoms that the person has and, if necessary, may order tests such as CT scans or MRIs, for example, to rule out other conditions that may cause similar symptoms. , such as brain tumors or dementia, for example.
It’s unclear what causes schizophrenia, but it’s thought to be a genetically influenced disease because it’s hereditary. In addition, drug use, the onset of viral infections, having older parents at pregnancy or suffering from malnutrition during pregnancy are also factors that increase the risk of developing this disease.
There is also an increased risk of developing schizophrenia in people who have experienced negative psychological experiences, sexual abuse, or some form of physical violence.
Paranoid schizophrenia cannot be cured, but ongoing treatment should be performed to prevent exacerbations of the disease.
Usually the person is accompanied by a psychiatrist, and can also be integrated into a team formed by a psychologist, social worker and nurse specialists in schizophrenia, who can help improve the quality of life of the person through psychotherapy, monitoring of daily activities and the provision of support. and information about the disease to families.
Medications your doctor usually prescribes are antipsychotics, which help control symptoms of the disease. Second-generation antipsychotics are usually second-generation antipsychotics because they have fewer side effects, such as aripiprazole (Abilify), olanzapine (Zyprexa), paliperidone (Invega), quetiapine (Seroquel) or risperidone (Risperdal), for example.
However, in some cases, your doctor may prescribe first-generation antipsychotics that, although they have more neurological side effects, are much cheaper.