Schizophrenia
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Hope Mental Health
Psychiatric Mental Health Care located in Meridian, ID, McCall, ID, Provo, UT, Boise, ID, Arizona, Nevada, Washington, Montana and Oregon
Schizophrenia is an extremely serious and disabling mental disorder, which only affects less than one percent of the population in the United States. If you or a loved one falls into this small group, the team at Hope Mental Health can help. Satu H. Woodland, PMHCNS-BC, APRN, at Hope Mental Health find solutions for schizophrenic patients in the Meridian and Boise, Idaho and the Arizona, Nevada, Washington and Montana areas, allowing them to regain control of their lives. To learn more about managing schizophrenia, please call or request an appointment using the online booking feature.
Schizophrenia
What is schizophrenia?
Schizophrenia is a complex, and chronic brain disorder that governs how a person thinks, feels, and acts. Schizophrenia typically presents itself between the ages of 16 and 30, and it affects men and women equally, though men appear to present symptoms at an earlier age than women.
There’s no known cause of schizophrenia, but medical researchers believe that links to genetics and environment play key roles in a person’s propensity to develop the disorder.
What are the signs of schizophrenia?
There are three categories of schizophrenia symptoms.
Positive symptoms
These types of symptoms are considered psychotic behaviors that indicate a break with reality and include hallucinations and delusions, as well as dysfunctional thinking and agitated physical movements.
Negative symptoms
As opposed to the acting out seen in positive symptoms, negative symptoms are quite the opposite and include:
- Lack of emotion or expression
- Limited talking
- The inability to feel pleasure
- Lack of sustainable interest
- Difficulties in social relationships
The view of these behaviors is often simply “checking out” from life.
Cognitive symptoms
Poor executive function, such as trouble with concentration, focus, and memory (especially short-term memory) characterize cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia.
How is schizophrenia managed?
Since there’s no known cause of schizophrenia, there’s no single cure for the disease, which means the goal of the team at Hope Mental Health is to manage the condition, allowing a schizophrenic patient to partake in life with as much normalcy as possible.
Contrary to popular belief, schizophrenics are not crazy and dangerous people, and the team understands that. Using the right combination of medications and cognitive behavioral therapy, a person with schizophrenia can lead a productive and happy life.
At Hope Mental Health, the team believes in an integrative and holistic approach to this complex mental disorder that not only addresses the problem in the brain but the emotional and spiritual sides of schizophrenia. By managing schizophrenia from every angle, the team enables those who are living with schizophrenia to live full and rich lives.
To learn more about managing schizophrenia, please call Hope Mental Health, or you can use the online scheduling tool to set up an appointment.
