What You Should Know About Treating Schizophrenia
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by: RobertNeale
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Word Count: 391
Antipsychotic medications are the main component in treating schizophrenia. This special class of drugs can put a stop to hallucinations, control delusions and improve coherence of the thoughts if taken unfailingly over the long term. Use of traditional medicines, like haloperidol or thorazine often resulted in side effects, including motor restlessness, rigidity of neck muscles and uncontrolled movements of the tongue or facial muscles, which prompted a large number of patients to discontinue taking them.
Oftentimes, folks believe they've been "cured" so they don't have to take the medicine any longer. Other people want to get rid of the uncomfortable side effects, and so they stop taking their drugs. However, when a person with schizophrenia quits taking the medication, their symptoms come back with heightened gravity and the medicine become less beneficial.
In 1990, there was a major breakthrough in treating schizophrenia. The drug Clozapine was introduced to the US market and worked without all the motor side effects by regulating the flow of neurotransmitters, like seratonin and dopamine. Psychotic disorder patients who did not previously respond well to medication found that Clozapine worked on both the positive and the negative symptoms of their schizophrenia. In 1994, a similar drug called Risperidone became FDA-approved and is now the most frequently prescribed antipsychotic in the U.S. As of 1996, Olanzapine is a third drug available under this new generation of medications that has fewer side effects and better success rates.
Treating schizophrenia early and aggressively is essential. According to the Treatment Advocacy Center, schizophrenics have 50 times' the risk of suicide compared to the general population. In fact, suicide is the leading cause of premature death among schizophrenics, with 10-15% taking their own lives and 40% attempting suicide at least once. This number is even higher (60%) among males. For this reason, many people with this mental illness require antidepressants to improve their motivation, their attitudes and to keep dangerous emotions at bay.
About the Author
There are several different ways of treating schizophrenia. Often it takes a combination of several different approaches in order to find the combination that works best. And you have to understand that this is a lifelong process that is often adjusted at different points. Click here to learn more about schizophrenia disorder.
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