How to get rid of schizophrenia without drugs. Is it possible to make a diagnosis based on the results of the Luscher test? Effective Treatments

Heavy sleep, nightmares, memory problems, causeless irritability, mood swings - who among us has not experienced such symptoms at some point in our lives? Psychiatrists jokingly (or maybe seriously?) say that almost everyone can be diagnosed with schizophrenia of varying severity. Let's see if it's all that bad.

Since ancient times and throughout human history, there have been people with an extraordinary psyche. In addition to the insanely crazy, other people “out of this world” also appeared: they were not like everyone else - holy fools, soothsayers of the future, oracles, ascetic dervishes. Crazy, crazy? Then what can be taken as the norm, the standard of human behavior? Nervousness, insults, just bouts of anger are also deviations from the norm.

The Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler (1857-1939) in 1908 introduced the concept of "schizophrenia" (from the ancient Greek "I lay out my mind") to replace the previously existing Latin concept "Dementia praecox" ("premature dementia"). For this reason, schizophrenia is sometimes referred to as Bleuler's disease. The Swiss doctor also introduced the concept of "autism" - the loss of connection with the real world. In the modern sense, schizophrenia is a mental illness prone to a chronic course and manifested by changes in the patient's personality. The disease leads, as a rule, to disability and social adaptation.

Schizophrenia is such a complex disease, with a unique course of action, with different symptoms for each individual patient, that psychiatrists often refer to a group of schizophrenic disorders to emphasize the ambiguity of the disease, Dr. Jaroslav Lipech from the Friborg Mental Health Center (RFSM) told Liberté. ).

Split personality, disintegration of thought processes, loss of a sense of reality, memory problems, auditory hallucinations - all these are just some of the few, pronounced signs of schizophrenia. And if you dig deeper, even the impoverishment of speech or the inability to enjoy life can be alarming signals.

The later a person suffering from such disorders turns to a doctor, the more his brain gets used to the existence in the world of his complexes and fears, and the more difficult it will be to get him out of this state, - said Professor Marco Merlo from RFSM.

Modern psychiatry treats schizophrenia in two ways (as well as autism): some doctors tend to consider this disease as a special mental condition that needs to be treated at home with the help of a word, a kind and patient attitude of family members, and conversations with a psychoanalyst. Their opponents are of a different opinion: schizophrenics need to be hospitalized and treated with medication.

Be that as it may, most specialists around the world tend to believe that schizophrenia is incurable. With the help of medicines, you can only drown out the disease, but not cure it. At one time, studies were conducted in a number of countries on the use of the psychoactive drug LSD for the treatment of various mental disorders and diseases, including schizophrenia. However, no unequivocal positive effect of LSD on schizophrenics could be found.

Swiss doctors, inspired by the work of their compatriot and colleague Eigen Bleuler, are convinced that schizophrenia is curable. The clinics of the Confederation successfully treat various mental illnesses, including psychosis, various types of mania, mental changes in the elderly and schizophrenia. The main thing is to identify the signs of the disease at an early stage.

This year, the Schizophrenia Days will be held in Romande Switzerland for the 10th time. The organizers wish to draw the attention of the population to this problem, to show that schizophrenia is not a stigma, to help understand schizophrenic patients.

On average, 1 in 100 Swiss suffers from schizophrenia, according to a communiqué from the association that organized Schizophrenia Days. But if you identify the symptoms of the disease at an early stage, then in 80% of cases the disease recedes soon after the start of therapy. A study conducted in Romand Switzerland by the sociological institute M.I.S. Trend in November 2012 showed low public awareness of schizophrenia: about 42% of the population believes that this disease is incurable, and 49% believe that schizophrenics can work quite normally along with healthy people. The organizers want to convey to people the main thing: schizophrenia is curable and patients with this disease should receive adequate therapy. The environment plays an important role here: at home, in the family, in society. Do not be afraid of an unknown illness, helpless people with mental disorders should lend a hand, do not pass indifferently on the street, do not get annoyed with them if they are among your family members. Only care, patience and perseverance, combined with the support of a competent psychiatrist, will bear fruit.

As part of the Days of Schizophrenia, a rich program is provided: movies, conferences, discussions, colloquia, receptions. March 19 from 9.00 to 17.30 The University Hospital Center of the Canton of Vaud () will host a scientific conference during which participants will discuss some important aspects of the treatment of patients with schizophrenia - mutual assistance, support from society and specialized associations, disease prevention.

The film "Avanti" directed by the director, photographer and writer from Lausanne Emmanuella Antiy will be screened in the cities of Romande Switzerland. The film recently released, it tells about the fate of a 28-year-old girl named Lea, who does not want to put up with her mother's mental illness. In the end, Lea leaves with her mother on a trip - instead of taking her to a psychiatric clinic.

And the Payot publishing house has prepared a selection of books on the topic of mental disorders - from the pages of novels and short stories, images of famous lunatics, violently lunatics and crazy geniuses, mediocre patients of clinics for the mentally ill and extraordinary personalities appear from the pages of novels and extraordinary personalities who struck the world with their madness. Among the most famous works on display are Guy de Maupassant's The Eagle and F. Scott Fitzgerald's Tender is the Night. (It’s a pity that Payot didn’t include our classics of “crazy” literature in the list: Chekhov’s The Black Monk and Ward No. 6, Gogol’s Notes of a Madman and Dostoyevsky’s The Double). The publications can be found in all Payot bookstores located in the cities of Romandia.

Schizophrenia is not completely cured, but with timely detection, it is possible to prolong the relapse stage while maintaining the optimal emotional and physical state of a person. At early treatment schizophrenic syndrome in most situations, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of acute delusional hallucinatory syndrome.

To cure the disease, a preliminary thorough diagnosis of the human condition is required for the optimal choice of treatment tactics.

What is schizophrenia and how does it manifest?

If schizophrenia manifests itself in childhood, acute symptoms do not occur for several years. During this period, the pathology progresses, when extraneous noises and visual images appear instead of anxiety, irritability, apathy.

Over the years, there is weakness, fatigue, inner restlessness. These psychological reactions lead to the formation of foci of hyperexcitability in the cerebral cortex.

The cause of schizophrenia has not been elucidated, but on the basis of the Chaplin test, Austrian scientists were able to identify features of the visualization of a rotating face mask by sick people. Such patients see a reality in which one side of the mask is concave and the other is convex. The thoughts of a healthy person draw the remaining parts, so the person sees the mask convex on both sides.

Adolescent schizophrenia is initially manifested by limited contact with society, loved ones. Parents of a teenager at first do not understand the changes in the behavior of their own son or daughter, but gradually notice the oddities in the child's behavior. Internal tension, fatigue, difficulties in transferring professional skills are the first signs of the disease. Gradually, solitude is formed. A teenager complains to parents about emotional-volitional and mental stress, but adults associate the condition with adolescence, the formation of hormonal disorders.

Isolation from peers, emotional and volitional instability - these manifestations are combined with other strange moments of a teenager's behavior. A young man can leave the university for no reason, refuse to attend lectures, stop communicating with his girlfriend, boyfriend.

As the clinical symptoms of the pathology form, the complication of the pathology is formed. The patient's behavior is rather strange, but there is no referral to a psychiatrist.

During the development of psychosis, the diagnosis of schizophrenia is not difficult for a specialist. An acute psychotic state is characterized by the onset of delusions of persecution, relationships, or hallucinations. Such periods are relapses of the chronic course of the disease. The period of remission is characterized by the absence of an acute clinic, so the nosology is not noticeable to other people.

According to statistics, schizophrenia is one of the most common mental illness. To date, approximately 45 million people (more than 1% of the total population of the planet), representatives of various races, nations and cultures, suffer from the symptoms of this disease. Most cases of its development were recorded in adolescence. To a lesser extent, manifestations of the disease are noted after twenty years. Very rarely, its development begins after the fiftieth milestone. Experts do not have a clear definition of the causes of the disorder, but regardless of this, the treatment of schizophrenia must be dealt with in a timely manner, since it threatens with serious consequences, up to disability. In addition, one in ten people suffering from this disorder have attempted suicide.

Over the past century, this disease has attracted the attention of scientists from various fields. Geneticists, biochemists, immunologists, clinicians, psychologists and psychiatrists, as well as many other specialists, are thinking about how to cure schizophrenia. An important role in this matter is played by the etiology of the disease. It is worth saying that the study of the causes of its development is carried out in two main directions: psychological and biological. The most important factors contributing to the development of the disease, experts include the following:

• genetic predisposition. According to medical statistics, people whose relatives also suffered from this disorder need treatment for schizophrenia. This disease occurs in 10% of cases. Often the symptoms of schizophrenia appear in identical twins. So, for example, if this disorder is observed in one, then the probability that its symptoms will occur in the second is approximately 65%.
• Violations in the prenatal period. The impact of any infections on the fetus during fetal development provokes the appearance of signs of schizophrenia in it.
• Features of education. According to experts, this version is considered only a hypothesis. Its essence lies in the fact that signs of schizophrenia can occur in people whose parents in childhood paid them insufficient attention.
• social factors. These include various stressful situations. For example, researchers believe that schizophrenia can be caused by: poverty, unemployment, instability, conflicts, frequent change housing.
• The use of narcotic substances. Quite often, people who use amphetamines and other hallucinogenic drugs are interested in how to treat schizophrenia.

And yet, most researchers agree that this mental disorder occurs against the background of unfavorable heredity. However, a combination of factors such as alcoholism, systematic stress, prolonged depression and social problems.

Which doctor should I go to?

At the first manifestations of a mental disorder, you should seek help from a qualified specialist. Only a doctor can answer the question: how can schizophrenia be cured. With such a problem, you should go to an appointment with such specialists:

It may also require the intervention of a narcologist. The help of this doctor is necessary if schizophrenia has developed against the background of taking drugs. The diagnosis is made based on the identified symptoms. In order to understand the clinical picture and answer the question: is it possible to completely cure schizophrenia, the doctor must listen to the patient's complaints and ask a series of questions:

1. How long have you been bothered by uncharacteristic manifestations?
2. Are there auditory and visual hallucinations?
3. Does anyone in your family suffer from schizophrenia or other mental disorders?
4. How often do attacks of unmotivated aggression occur?
5. What are the bad habits?

The specialist will also conduct psychological tests. However, one survey is not enough to make such a serious diagnosis as "schizophrenia", so the doctor will also prescribe sleep monitoring and other hardware research methods. Only after the responses have been received can conclusions be drawn. mental state patient.

How to cure schizophrenia: medicinal methods

If the diagnosis is confirmed, then the person needs medical therapy. Many scientists have long wondered whether the symptoms of schizophrenia can be completely treated. However, they all came to the conclusion that today it is not possible to get rid of the symptoms of this disease. But well-chosen medical preparations able to alleviate the patient's condition. These include the following groups of drugs:

• Antipsychotics;
• Antidepressants (eliminate depression and apathy);
• Anxiolytics (reduce anxiety and excitability);
• Nootropics (stimulate mental activity);
• Normotimics (regulate the affective environment).

All of these groups are used in the treatment of schizophrenia. psychotropic drugs, but the main role given to neuroleptics. As a rule, oral forms of drugs are prescribed, since injections cause the patient to associate with violence. Injections are used only to relieve psychomotor agitation. A well-designed course of treatment gives positive results. So, for example, in patients who received prescribed drugs, the number of relapses was halved.

Effective Treatments

An important role in the fight against this disease, experts assign the creation of a favorable microclimate in the environment of the patient. It is also necessary to have an active position and desire for the recovery of the patient himself in the course of treatment. First of all, a person must be able to notice the first signs of a relapse and take the necessary measures to eliminate it. Only then will the psychiatrist answer the question of how exactly and whether schizophrenia can be cured. The method of combating the disease includes such components.

Modern methods of treatment of schizophrenia, which are practiced in the clinic, allow treating the vast majority of patients with schizophrenia without hospitalization.

At the initial stages treatment of schizophrenia, intensive therapy is required to quickly stabilize the condition and relieve the main symptoms, which significantly reduces the patient's quality of life and makes it difficult to socialize.

This requires the daily presence of the patient in the clinic. As a rule, in such cases, relatives of a patient with schizophrenia bring the patient daily to undergo the necessary medical procedures.

At the first stages treatment of schizophrenia the patient visits a day hospital, where the doctor has the opportunity to constantly monitor the mental state and correct the therapy.

Further, after stabilization of the patient's condition, planned therapy for schizophrenia in which there are complex techniques that not only allow you to restore the metabolic processes of the brain, but also to correct behavior, socialize a patient with schizophrenia.

In most cases, a special therapy is prescribed, which does not require daily pills, as is most often practiced today. It is enough for the patient to come to the clinic for planned therapy for schizophrenia once a month.

In our practice, almost all of our patients can not only restore their quality self-service skills, but many of them restore their social status, study at universities, have the opportunity to work (not rarely in responsible positions), have a family and healthy children.

But even in these cases, most patients restore their skills and have the opportunity for further self-improvement.

The most vulnerable are adolescents, who often have symptoms similar to those of schizophrenia or may experience a schizophrenic coat.

Most often in such situations, in most cases, a "stigma" is put on for life. We have the opportunity to adequately help a teenager and not "close" his future.

SCHIZOPHRENIA is not a sentence and we prove it every day.

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This term comes from the Greek words schizo - split and phren - mind, mind, thought.

Schizophrenia, as a separate disease, was first described by the German psychiatrist E. Krepelin, later E. Bleiler singled out the essential features of this disease and proposed the current name.

Schizophrenia is currently defined as a group of progressive diseases that occur with rapidly or slowly developing personality changes. special type(decrease in energy potential, progressive inversion, emotional impoverishment, "discordance", i.e. loss of unity of mental processes), in which thinking, volitional and emotional spheres are disturbed to varying degrees.

Is it necessary to go to a psychiatric hospital when treating schizophrenia?

Do I have schizophrenia? Am I being diagnosed correctly? Is schizophrenia diagnosed for life? How can this diagnosis be confirmed or refuted, what studies are being carried out? Is this disease curable? Is it necessary to go to a psychiatric hospital? Can it be treated without medication?

Whether or not there is schizophrenia - the psychiatrist decides on the basis of examining the patient, talking with him, analyzing him mental functions(thinking, intelligence, emotions, memory), life history assessments.

In addition to assessing the condition by a doctor, a pathopsychological study (a thorough study of higher mental functions) can provide significant assistance in the diagnosis, in which thought disorders specific to schizophrenia can be detected.

Is schizophrenia diagnosed correctly and are there possible errors in making such a conclusion?

Is schizophrenia curable?

The basis of the treatment of schizophrenia is drug treatment (neuroleptics, neurometabolic therapy, etc.).

In the treatment of schizophrenia, remission is achieved, which is manifested by the absence of symptoms of the disease and a high quality of life.

Is it necessary to use medication in the treatment of schizophrenia?

Below, these issues are analyzed in more detail, with a description of how attitudes towards patients with schizophrenia, forms of communication, methods of treatment, rehabilitation and social adaptation.

In the case of schizophrenia, it is very important to recognize the disease at its very beginning, since the treatment in this case will be much simpler and will not bring a lot of possible restrictions and inconveniences to the person.

In the last hundred years great attention focused on the early diagnosis of schizophrenia and its classification, whether as a single disease or a group of disorders. As a result, today, modern, fairly generally accepted ideas about the clinical picture and diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia have been formed. Because of this, in most cases acute course disease, the diagnosis of schizophrenia is not in doubt. Nevertheless, in some patients it still turns out to be controversial, and they are sometimes given other diagnoses - borderline (neurosis, depression) or, paranoia, MDP, latent, neurosis-like or psychopathic schizophrenia, and even a psychotic form of depression. This can often be due either to some inexperience of the psychiatrist, or to the fact that the person turned to a specialist who does not have a higher medical education and / or sufficient experience as a psychiatrist. Most often this happens when referring to various kinds of psychologists or psychotherapists who do not have sufficient clinical experience as a psychiatrist.

Until now, many psychotherapists continue, as it was before, to consider schizophrenia a "functional" disorder caused by interpersonal, social or internal conflicts . This point of view leads both to the neglect of modern data of pathophysiological studies, and to confusion in the nosological classification, which leads not only to poor quality, not full provision necessary assistance to the patient, but also to gross mental disorders due to incorrectly prescribed and administered therapy.

There is, to date, some information that schizophrenia, apparently, may be a kind of heterogeneous group of diseases of various origins, with different predispositions and different provoking factors. Presumably, there are also some provoking factors in fetal development, for example, such as: alcohol consumption, drugs, elevated stress loads , diseases severe forms of the flu etc., transferred by the mother during pregnancy, including occurrence of the disease.

According to statistics, the prevalence of schizophrenia is about 2-5%, and gender does not matter.
As a rule, in men, the first attack of schizophrenia is more often observed at the age of about 20 years; by the age of 30, most patients have clear signs of the disease. In adolescence, in patients with schizophrenia, manifested traits of aggressiveness and antisocial.
In women, the first attack of schizophrenia often manifests itself by the age of 25. In adolescence, such patients in most cases experienced tantrums, isolation, sleep disturbance, antisocial behavior(aggression, running away from home, leaving school, etc.).
There is also a family predisposition to the occurrence of schizophrenia. If both parents are sick, the child's risk of getting sick can be as high as 70%. If one of the parents is sick, then the risk is from 5 to 10%. In relatives of patients with schizophrenia of the first degree of kinship, this disease is detected much more often than in relatives of the third degree of kinship (great aunts, grandfathers, aunts, uncles, sisters, brothers, etc.).

The exact origin and development of schizophrenia has not yet been fully elucidated. For example, during MRI, positron emission tomography and single-background emission tomography, no typical changes are observed, as well as with other instrumental types of research. However, in patients with schizophrenia the most common finding is the expansion of the sulci and ventricles of the brain, decreased metabolic rate in the frontal lobe, decreased amount of gray matter in the left temporal lobe and atrophy of the cerebellar vermis. However, on this basis it is impossible to make a diagnosis, since such anomalies can also be observed in healthy people. Therefore, this may only speak of a possible predisposition to the disease, and not of pathology as such.

Diagnosis is the most important step in the treatment of schizophrenia.

At the beginning of the 20th century, E. Bleiler, who proposed the name of the disease, "schizophrenia", emphasized by this an important feature, the main symptomatology of all forms this disease- splitting of the psyche (thinking, feelings and relationships with the outside world). He singled out four main diagnostic criteria, which is often called by doctors "criteria for four "A", a violation:

In schizophrenic delusions, hallucinations, and thought disturbances are associated with elevated or depressed mood. Previously, such patients were often diagnosed with atypical psychosis, MDP, or the initial form of schizophrenia.
In the treatment of schizophrenia , as well as other diseases, a thorough diagnosis is required, it is necessary to conduct a differential diagnosis, which is carried out by the method of excluding other mental disorders. This is due to the fact that the symptoms characteristic of schizophrenia can accompany many other mental conditions in which the activity of the central nervous system is disturbed, and it is impossible to consider all these conditions here. But, some of the ones that are most commonly found in practical work a psychiatrist and a psychotherapist should be designated, for a clearer understanding of the need for careful diagnostic analysis and the need for medical experience.

Conditions that manifest schizophrenia-like symptoms:

There are seven main possible options for the course and outcome of schizophrenia:
1. Acute onset followed by severe chronic psychosis
2. Gradual onset with slow progression to severe chronic psychosis
3. Acute onset followed by mild chronic psychosis
4. Gradual onset with slow progression to mild chronic psychosis
5. Multiple episodes of acute onset followed by severe chronic psychosis
6. Multiple episodes of acute onset followed by mild chronic psychosis
7. One or more seizures followed by recovery
The first four options refer to, the remaining three - to the paroxysmal course of schizophrenia.

To date, they are treated quite successfully, which cannot be said about chronic forms of the course. It is disappointing that recovery is not achieved in more than 20% of all cases.

The appearance of symptoms of schizophrenia in itself is not an indication for hospitalization. If properly provided social support schizophrenic patient, and his condition does not threaten himself or others, it is always better to start outpatient treatment for schizophrenia. At the same time, the usual system of social ties and assistance is preserved. A study of the causes of hospitalization to date shows that it could often be avoided if there was sufficient experience of the attending psychiatrist and active family support, which is usually structured by the attending psychiatrist.

If a patient with schizophrenia is dangerous for himself or others, then, despite all considerations about the cost-effectiveness of treatment, start treatment for schizophrenia should only be hospitalized to avoid the possibility of an accident. Thoughts of suicide or murder are especially dangerous in people with schizophrenia. In a state of acute psychosis, an adequate assessment of thoughts and desires, as well as control over impulses, is lost, especially in the presence of imperative pseudo-hallucinations (for example, voices that threaten or order to do something, etc.). Dangerous urges are exacerbated by the presence of delusional ideas, especially with delusions of persecution. The decision on hospitalization should be made by a psychiatrist who examines or monitors a patient with schizophrenia.

As a rule, consciousness in schizophrenia remains clear, but there may be some absent-mindedness or severe disorientation. Such people are often very convincing in their conclusions and explanations of any situation, they give quite convincing arguments in favor of their own opinion, and most often the people around them begin to believe it and do not notice the manifestation of the disease. Such people can often get a fairly large financial credibility from different people, convincing them of their intentions and practical actions, since they themselves sincerely believe in their crazy ideas.

Special difficulty management of psychiatric patients is aggressive or inappropriate sexual behavior. Irritants that can cause aggressive or sexual feelings (TV shows, radio, etc.) should be kept to a minimum. It is necessary to speak with the patient clearly and briefly, since detailed and evasive explanations can provoke anxiety, confusion and anger. Forced treatment indicated for severe acute mental conditions, pronounced aggression or suicidal intentions.

Any coercive action must be firm, but never punitive. Firmness in dealing with the sick should not turn into cruelty and be combined with sympathy and the desire to understand their thoughts, anxieties and fears.

Is in correct selection and further correction of medications, which should be clearly planned and controlled by the attending psychiatrist. However, one must not forget about specific psychotherapy. It can be argued that in any form of schizophrenia, it is necessary to reasonably combine both individual psychotherapy sessions and group, which should include psychotherapeutic techniques specially prepared for this group of patients. The doctor must constantly show that his patient friendly attitude does not change, if possible, openly share your own feelings with him, show interest in his feelings and his life circumstances. However, it is necessary to differentiate one's own statements, as the patient may attach special meaning to words or understand them too specifically. Due to impaired thinking, patients with schizophrenia cannot cope with the slightest life difficulties, and this is the reason for many pathological manifestations schizophrenia: a distorted view of oneself and reality, easily arising feelings of loneliness, helplessness and anger. It is in this direction that special psychotherapy is used, which is prepared for each patient individually or groups are specially selected in which patients could feel comfortable.

Rehabilitation in the treatment of schizophrenia should be directed towards the development and recovery of personal, interpersonal and professional skills, which can increase the patient's self-confidence and make him a useful member of society. How independent a schizophrenic patient can become after an attack is best judged by his condition before the attack, the duration and strength of the schizophrenic attack. If he has a family and a job, then rehabilitation is usually more successful. The participation of a patient with schizophrenia in public life largely depends on the society itself, its loyalty and social structure.

In the rehabilitation and formation of interpersonal relationships of a patient with schizophrenia, special psychotherapeutic classes, which are actively carried out in the Rosa clinic. Role-playing techniques specially developed by the employees of the Rosa Clinic are used, which teach the patient to cope with those internal and external factors that can lead to an exacerbation of schizophrenia. In addition, these techniques make it possible to find those forms of behavior in which the state and social adaptation improve, and avoid those that lead to deterioration.

At the Rosa Clinic, the treatment of patients with schizophrenia is realistic. The requirements for it are formulated taking into account individual characteristics and the current state, and not past achievements in study, work, etc.

Only an integrated approach to treatment of schizophrenia who practices at the Rosa Clinic- drug treatment, psychotherapy, rehabilitation, issuing recommendations for the patient's family, organizing round-the-clock emergency support and special socially adapting program sessions can significantly reduce and improve the course of treatment, as well as significantly improve the lives of patients with schizophrenia. Such activities enable patients to lead an independent existence.

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Schizophrenia is a mental disorder (and according to the modern classification of ICD-10 - a group of disorders) with a chronic course, provoking the breakdown of emotional reactions and thought processes. It is impossible to cure it completely. Nevertheless, as a result of long-term therapy, it is possible to restore a person's social activity and ability to work, prevent and achieve stable remission.

The treatment of schizophrenia traditionally consists of three stages:

Stopping therapy is therapy to relieve psychosis. The goal of this stage of treatment is to suppress the positive symptoms of schizophrenia - delusions, hebephrenia, catatonia, hallucinations;

Stabilizing therapy - is used to maintain the results of stopping therapy, its task is to finally remove positive symptoms of all kinds;

Maintenance therapy - aimed at maintaining steady state mentality of the patient, prevention of relapse, maximum distance in time for the next psychosis.

Stopping therapy should be given as early as possible; it is necessary to contact a specialist as soon as the first signs of psychosis appear, since it is much more difficult to stop an already developed psychosis. In addition, psychosis can cause personality changes that make it impossible for a person to work and carry out normal daily activities. In order for the changes to be less pronounced, and the patient to have the opportunity to lead a normal life, it is necessary to stop the attack in a timely manner.

Currently, the following methods of therapy for schizophrenic conditions have been developed, tested and widely used: psychopharmacology, various types of shock-coma therapy, high-tech stem cell therapy, traditional psychotherapy, cytokine treatment and detoxification of the body.

Inpatient treatment is necessary immediately at the time of psychosis, and after the arrest of the attack, stabilizing and supportive therapy can be carried out on an outpatient basis. A patient who has undergone treatment and has been in remission for a long time still needs to undergo an annual examination and be admitted to inpatient treatment in order to correct possible pathological changes.

Actually, it's time for full treatment schizophrenia after another psychosis is one year or longer. From 4 to 10 weeks it takes to stop the attack and suppress productive symptoms, after which, to stabilize the results, six months of intensive care in the hospital and 5-8 months of outpatient treatment are needed to prevent relapse, achieve a fairly stable remission and conduct social rehabilitation of the patient.

Treatment options for schizophrenia

Methods for the treatment of schizophrenia are divided into two groups - biological methods and psychosocial therapy:

Psychosocial therapy includes cognitive behavioral therapy, psychotherapy and family therapy. These techniques, although they do not give instant results, but allow you to extend the period of remission, increase the effectiveness of biological methods, return a person to normal life in society. Psychosocial therapy allows you to reduce the dosage of drugs and the length of stay in the hospital, makes a person able to independently perform daily tasks and control his condition, which reduces the likelihood of relapse;

Biological methods of treatment - lateral, insulin coma, paired polarization, electroconvulsive therapy, detoxification, transcranial micropolarization and magnetic brain stimulation, as well as psychopharmacology and surgical methods treatment;

The use of drugs that affect the brain is one of the most effective biological treatments for schizophrenia, which allows you to remove productive symptoms, prevent the destruction of personality, impaired thinking, will, memory and emotions.

Modern treatment of schizophrenia during an attack

During a psychosis or an attack of schizophrenia, it is necessary to take all measures for its speedy relief. Atypical antipsychotics belong to neuroleptics, these are modern drugs that allow not only to remove productive symptoms (auditory or visual hallucinations and delusions), but also reduce possible violations of speech, memory, emotions, will and other mental functions, thereby minimizing the risk of destruction of the patient's personality.

Drugs of this group are prescribed not only to patients at the stage of psychosis, but are also used to prevent relapses. Atypical antipsychotics are effective when the patient is on other antipsychotics.

The effectiveness of cupping therapy depends on such factors:

Duration of the disease - with a duration of up to three years, the patient has a high chance of successful treatment with a long period of remission. Cupping therapy removes psychosis, and a relapse of the disease with properly conducted stabilizing and anti-relapse treatment may not occur until the end of life. If the patient's schizophrenia lasts from three to ten and longer years, then the effectiveness of therapy is reduced;

The patient's age is schizophrenia late age easier to treat than adolescent schizophrenia;

Onset and course of psychotic disorder acute attack diseases with a vivid course, which is characterized by strong emotional manifestations, pronounced affects (phobias, manic, depressive, anxiety states) respond well to treatment;

The patient's personality warehouse - if before the first psychosis the patient had a harmonious and balanced personality warehouse, there are more chances for successful treatment than people with infantilism and underdevelopment of intelligence before the onset of schizophrenia;

The reason for the exacerbation of schizophrenia - if the attack was caused exogenous factors(from the loss of loved ones or overstrain at work, in preparation for an exam or competition), then the treatment is quick and effective. If the exacerbation of schizophrenia occurred spontaneously for no apparent reason, then the relief of the attack is more difficult;

The nature of the disorder - with pronounced negative symptoms of the disease (impaired thinking, emotional perception, volitional qualities, memory and concentration), the treatment takes longer, its effectiveness is reduced.

Treatment of psychotic disorder (delusions, hallucinations, illusions and other productive symptoms)

Psychotic disorders are treated with antipsychotic drugs, which are divided into two groups: conventional antipsychotics and more modern atypical antipsychotics. The choice of the drug is made on the basis of the clinical picture, conventional antipsychotics are used if atypical antipsychotics ineffective.

Olanzapine is a potent antipsychotic that can be given to all patients with schizophrenia during an attack.

The activating antipsychotic risperidone and amisulpride are prescribed for psychosis, during which delusions and hallucinations alternate with negative symptoms and depression.

Quetiapine is prescribed if the patient during psychosis has increased excitability, broken speech, delirium and hallucinations with strong psychomotor agitation.

Conventional or classical antipsychotics are prescribed for complex forms of schizophrenia - catatonic, undifferentiated and hebephrenic. They are used to treat protracted psychosis if treatment with the atypical antipsychotics listed above has failed.

With paranoid schizophrenia, Trisedil is prescribed.

Mazheptil is used to treat catatonic and hebephrenic forms.

If these drugs turned out to be ineffective, then the patient is prescribed antipsychotics with selective action, one of the first drugs in this group is Haloperidol. It removes the productive symptoms of psychosis - delirium, automatism of movements, psychomotor agitation, verbal hallucinations. However, long-term side effects include neurological syndrome, which is manifested by stiffness in the muscles and trembling in the limbs. To prevent these phenomena, doctors prescribe Cyclodol or other corrective drugs.

For the treatment of paranoid schizophrenia use:

Meterazin - if the attack is accompanied by systematized delirium;

Triftazin - with unsystematized delirium during psychosis;

Moditen - with pronounced negative symptoms with impaired speech, mental activity, emotions and will.

Atypical antipsychotics, which combine the properties of atypical and conventional drugs - Piportil and Clozapine.

Treatment with neuroleptics occurs 4-8 weeks from the onset of the attack, after which the patient is transferred to stabilizing therapy with maintenance doses of the drug, or the drug is changed to another, with a milder effect. Additionally, drugs that relieve psychomotor agitation may be prescribed.

Reducing the emotional saturation of experiences associated with delusions and hallucinations

Antipsychotic drugs are given for two to three days after the onset of symptoms, the choice depends on the clinical picture, with the introduction of Diazepam intravenously combined:

Quetiapine - prescribed to patients who have pronounced manic arousal;

Klopikson - prescribed for the treatment of psychomotor agitation, which is accompanied by anger and aggression; can be used to treat schizophrenia in people who are in a state of withdrawal after taking alcohol or drugs;

Clopixone-Acupaz - a prolonged form of the drug, is prescribed if the patient is not able to take the medicine regularly.

If the above antipsychotics were ineffective, the doctor prescribes conventional neuroleptics with a sedative effect. The course of admission is 10-12 days, such a duration is necessary to stabilize the patient's condition after an attack.

Conventional neuroleptics with a sedative effect include:

Aminazine - prescribed for aggressive manifestations and anger during an attack;

Tizercin - if anxiety, anxiety and confusion prevail in the clinical picture;

Melperone, Propazine, Chlorprothixene - prescribed to patients over the age of 60 or people with diseases of cardio-vascular system, and.

Antipsychotic drugs are used to treat psychomotor agitation. To reduce the degree of the patient's emotional experiences caused by auditory, verbal or visual hallucinations and delusions, antidepressants and mood stabilizers are additionally prescribed. These drugs should be taken in the future as part of maintenance anti-relapse therapy, since they not only alleviate the subjective state of the patient and correct his mental disorders, but also allow him to quickly get involved in normal life.

Treatment of the depressive component in emotional disorders

The depressive component of a psychotic episode is removed with the help of antidepressants.

Among antidepressants for the treatment of the depressive component of schizophrenia, a group of serotonin reuptake inhibitors is distinguished. Venlafaxine and Ixel are most often prescribed. Venlafaxine removes anxiety, and Ixel successfully copes with the dreary component of depression. Cipralex combines both of these actions.

Heterocyclic antidepressants are used as second-line drugs with low efficacy of the above drugs. Their action is more powerful, but patient tolerance is worse. Amitriptyline relieves anxiety, Melipramine removes the dreary component, and Clomipramine successfully copes with any manifestations.

Treatment of the manic component in emotional disorders

The manic component helps to remove the combination of neuroleptics with mood stabilizers, both during a psychotic episode and later in anti-relapse therapy. The drugs of choice in this case are normotimics Valprocom and Depakine, which quickly and effectively eliminate manic manifestations. If a manic symptom weakly expressed, Lamotrigine is prescribed - it has a minimum side effects and well tolerated by patients.

Lithium salts are most effective in the treatment of the manic component of emotional disorders, but they should be used with caution, since they interact poorly with classical antipsychotics.

Treatment of drug-resistant psychosis

Pharmaceutical drugs are not always effective in treating schizophrenia. Then they talk about human resistance to drugs, similar to the resistance to antibiotics produced in bacteria with their constant influence.

In this case, it remains to resort to intensive methods of influence:

Electroconvulsive therapy - is carried out in a short course, at the same time as taking antipsychotics. To use electroconvulsions, the patient is given general anesthesia, which makes the procedure similar to surgery in complexity. Such extreme treatment usually provokes a variety of cognitive impairments: attention, memory, conscious analysis and information processing. These effects are present when using bilateral electroconvulsions, but there is also a unilateral version of the therapy, which is more gentle on the nervous system.

Insulin shock therapy is an intense biological effect exerted on the patient's body by huge doses of insulin, which causes a hypoglycemic coma. It is prescribed in the absence of any result from the use of drugs. Pharmaceutical intolerance is absolute reading to the application of this method. The so-called insulin-comatose therapy, invented back in 1933, is used to this day for the treatment of episodic or continuous paranoid schizophrenia. The unfavorable dynamics of the course of the disease is additional reason for the appointment of insulin shock therapy. When sensory delusions become interpretive, and anxiety, mania, and absent-mindedness are replaced by suspicion and uncontrollable malice, the doctor tends to use this method. The procedure is carried out without interrupting the course of neuroleptic drugs.

There are currently three options for using insulin to treat schizophrenia:

Traditional - subcutaneous administration of the active substance, is carried out in a course with a regular (most often daily) increase in doses until a coma is provoked. The effectiveness of this approach is the highest;

Forced - insulin is administered through a dropper to achieve the maximum concentration in one daily infusion. This method of inducing hypoglycemic coma allows the body to endure the procedure with the least harmful consequences;

Potentiated - involves the implementation of insulin-comatose therapy against the background of lateral physiotherapy, which is carried out by stimulating the skin with electricity in those places where the nerves pass to the cerebral hemispheres. The introduction of insulin is possible both in the first and in the second way. Thanks to physiotherapy, it is possible to shorten the course of treatment and focus the effect of the procedure on the manifestations of hallucinations and delusions.

Craniocerebral hypothermia is a specific method that is used in toxicology and narcology mainly for the relief of severe forms of the “withdrawal” state. The procedure is to gradually reduce the temperature of the brain to form neuroprotection in nerve cells. There is evidence of the efficiency of the method in the treatment of catatonic schizophrenia. It is especially recommended because of the episodic resistance of this type of pathology to medicines.

Lateral therapy is a method of severe relief of psychomotor, hallucinogenic, manic and depressive excitations. It consists in conducting electroanalgesia of a certain area of ​​the cerebral cortex. Exposure to electricity "reboots" neurons, much like a computer turns on after a power failure. Thus, previously formed pathological connections are broken, due to which therapeutic effect.

Detoxification is a fairly rare decision made to compensate for the side effects of taking heavy drugs type of neuroleptics. It is most often used for complications due to the use of antipsychotics, allergies to similar drugs, resistance or poor susceptibility to drugs. Detoxification consists in carrying out the procedure of hemosorption.

Sorption is carried out with activated carbon or ion-exchange resins that are capable of specifically absorbing and neutralizing chemical components that remain in the blood after taking heavy medications. Hemosorption is carried out in several stages, which increases the sensitivity to drugs prescribed after this procedure.

If there is a prolonged course of psychosis or extrapyramidal disorders, such as impaired coordination and parkinsonism, arising from long courses of conventional antipsychotics, plasmapheresis is prescribed (blood sampling with subsequent removal of its liquid part - plasma containing harmful toxins and metabolites). As during hemosorption, any previously prescribed pharmaceuticals are canceled in order to restart a milder course with a lower dosage or a radical change in the drugs used after plasmapheresis.

Stabilizing treatment for schizophrenia

It is necessary to stabilize the patient's condition within 3 to 9 months from the moment of complete healing from bouts of schizophrenia. First of all, during the stabilization of the patient, it is necessary to achieve the cessation of hallucinations, delusions, manic and depressive symptoms. In addition, in the course of treatment, it is necessary to restore the full functionality of the patient, close to his state before the attack.

Stabilization treatment is completed only when remission is achieved, followed by maintenance therapy against relapses.

The drugs of choice are mainly Amisulpride, Quetiapine and Risperidone. They are used in low dosages to mildly correct such symptoms of schizophrenia as apathy, anhedonia, speech disorders, lack of motivation and will.

Other drugs have to be used if a person cannot constantly take antipsychotics on his own, and his family cannot control this. Long-acting drugs can be taken once a week, these include Clopixol-Depot, Rispolept-Konsta and Fluanxol-Depot.

With neurosis-like symptoms, including phobias and increased anxiety, take Fluanxol-Depot, while with increased sensitivity, irritability and manic symptoms, Clopixol-Depot helps well. Rispolept-Konsta can remove residual hallucinations and delusions.

Conventional antipsychotics are prescribed as a last resort, if all of the above drugs do not cope with the task.

In stabilizing treatment, apply:

Haloperidol - is used if the attack is stopped poorly and not completely, the drug removes residual psychotic phenomena to increase the stability of remission. Assign Haloperidol with caution, as it can provoke extrapyramidal disorders, neurological syndrome. Be sure to combine with corrective preparations;

Triftazin - used to treat episodic paranoid schizophrenia;

Moditen-Depot - removes residual hallucinatory symptoms;

Piportil is used to treat paranoid or catatonic schizophrenia.

Maintenance (anti-relapse) treatment of schizophrenia

Maintenance treatment is necessary to prevent recurrence of the disease. With a good fit various circumstances thanks to this type of therapy, there is a significant prolongation of remission and a partial or even complete restoration of the patient's social functions. Drugs prescribed during anti-relapse treatment are able to correct the disturbances in memory, will, too strong emotional susceptibility and thought processes that are caused by the state of psychotic disorder.

The course of treatment is usually two years, if the psychotic episode occurred for the first time. After its repetition, anti-relapse therapy should last at least five years. Rarely, but it comes to the point that psychosis happens for the third time. In this case, treatment has to be continued until the end of life, otherwise a relapse is inevitable.

The list of drugs used for maintenance therapy includes the same antipsychotics as in the treatment of seizures, but in a much lower dosage - no more than a third of the amount required for the traditional relief of psychosis.

Non-drug drug treatment

Risperidone, Quetiapine, Amisulpride and other atypical antipsychotics can be distinguished among the most effective drugs for maintenance anti-relapse therapy. With a decrease in individual sensitivity to active ingredients in addition to the above medicines, Sertindole may be prescribed.

When even atypical antipsychotics fail desired effect, and it is not possible to stabilize the patient's condition with the prolongation of remission, conventional antipsychotic drugs are used: Piportil, Moditen-Depot, Haloperidol, Triftazin.

Long-acting (depot) forms of drugs may be prescribed if the patient fails to take drugs regularly, and his caregivers cannot control this. Deposition of Fluanxol-Depot, Clopixol-Depot and Rispolept-Konsta is carried out by intramuscular or subcutaneous injection once a week.

Another group of pharmaceuticals used in anti-relapse therapy is mood stabilizers, which demonstrate a fairly high efficacy in the treatment of sluggish type schizophrenia. With cognitive disorders such as panic attacks and depressive states, Valprok and Depakine are prescribed. Lithium salts, Lamotrigine help relieve passive disorders - anxiety and melancholy mood, and Carbamazepine is indicated for patients with a tendency to irritable behavior and aggression.

Non-drug methods of anti-relapse therapy

Lateral physiotherapy is used to enhance the effectiveness of medical treatment. The method consists in electrical action on skin areas, regulated by the right or left hemisphere of the brain.

Lateral phototherapy has been successfully used to treat a wide variety of phobias, increased or decreased sensitivity, anxiety, paranoia and other symptoms of neurosis. During the phototherapy procedure, the right and left parts of the retina are alternately exposed to light pulses, the frequency of which determines the stimulating or calming effect.

Intravascular laser irradiation - blood purification using a special laser device. It is able to increase sensitivity to medications, which reduces their required dosage and minimizes side effects.

Pair polarization therapy is a procedure for correcting disturbances in the emotional sphere by using electricity on the surface of the cortex. big brain.

Transcranial micropolarization is a method of selectively influencing brain structures using an electric field, which allows you to remove hallucinations and residual effects at the stage of remission.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation - this type of impact on brain structures allows you to relieve depression; in this case, the influence on the brain occurs through a constant magnetic field;

Enterosorption. Like intravascular laser irradiation, this type of exposure is aimed at increasing the body's sensitivity to drugs in order to reduce their dose required to achieve a therapeutic effect. It is a course of sorbent preparations taken orally, including Activated carbon, Enterosgel, Filtrum, Polyphepan, Smecta. Sorbents are used due to the ability to bind various toxins to remove them from the body in an organic way.

Immunomodulators - provide complex impact on the body, allowing not only to improve efficiency, which helps a person to regenerate after damage caused by an attack, but also to increase sensitivity to neuroleptic drugs.

In complex therapy, various immunomodulatory agents are used:

3. Sodium nucleinate.

Psychosocial Therapy

This type of post-remission therapy is carried out after the complete relief of the attack and is necessary for the social rehabilitation of a still sick person, restoring his cognitive abilities and teaching skills self fight with a disease.

Important components of psychosocial therapy are not only social, but also labor rehabilitation of the patient. For this, so-called family therapy is used: close relatives or guardians of the patient are taught the rules of careful behavior with the patient. Thanks to this, it is possible to place him at home with free rules of movement and residence. The patient is informed about the importance of taking medications regularly, but they form an understanding of personal responsibility for their health. In a calm and friendly environment, patients recover faster after attacks, their mental state stabilizes, and the chances of a stable remission increase significantly. Interpersonal contacts with friendly people accelerate the recovery of the patient's social activity.

In addition, a psychotherapist can help a person solve personal problems, cope with neuroses and depressive states, which prevents a new attack.

Another component of psychosocial adaptation is cognitive-behavioral treatment, during which a person restores his mental abilities (memory, thinking, ability to concentrate) to the extent that is necessary for normal functioning in society.

The results of magnetic resonance imaging after a course of psychosocial therapy prove the effectiveness of this technique for the post-remission cure of schizophrenia.

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Traditional drugs for the treatment of schizophrenia

Antipsychotic drugs directly affect the factors causing development schizophrenia, which is why their use is so effective.

At the moment, existing antipsychotics are divided into the following groups:

Atypical antipsychotics - Clozapine, Amisulpride, Risperidone, Quetiapine Olanzapine;

Antipsychotics of the latest generation (atypical) - Aripiprazole, Ipoperidal, Sertindole, Blonanserin, Ziprasidone;

Sedatives neuroleptic drugs With sedative effect: Chlorpromazine, Levomepromazine, Propazine, Truxal, Sultopride;

Incisive neuroleptic drugs that can activate the central nervous system: Hypothiazine, Haloperidol, Clopixol, Prochlorperazine, Thioproperazine, Trifluoperazine, Fluphenazine;

Disorganizing neuroleptic drugs that have a disinhibitory effect: Sulpiride, Karbidin.

In addition to neuroleptics, other medications are also used in the treatment of schizophrenia of various symptoms:

Antidepressants relieve the patient's condition with anxiety, anxiety and fear: Amitriptyline, Pirlindol, Moclobemide;

Nootropics that help enhance cognitive function and restore memory, thinking, attention and concentration ability: Deanol aceglumate, Pantogam, hopantenic acid;

Tranquilizers are used to relieve anxiety: Phenazepam, Bromazepam, Chlordiazepoxide, Diazepam;

Psychostimulants: Mesocarb;

Normothymic drugs help to gain control over emotional manifestations: Carbamazepine.

New drugs for the treatment of schizophrenia

Classical antipsychotics, despite their effectiveness in relieving schizophrenia attacks and in further stabilizing and maintenance therapy, have a number of disadvantages and side effects. Because of this, their use has to be limited, to observe the minimum dosage necessary to achieve a therapeutic effect, and to combine them with corrective drugs.

Side effects and disadvantages of conventional antipsychotics:

Extrapyramidal damage - dystonia, akathisia, neuroleptic syndrome;

Somatic disorders - hormonal imbalance, due to which the level of prolactin in the blood increases, which leads to the development of gynecomastia, dysmenorrhea, galactorrhea, sexual activity disorders;

drug depression;

Allergic reactions of a toxicological nature.

The strength of action of new generation antipsychotic drugs is comparable to the effect of classical antipsychotics, but at the same time they have a much higher speed of onset of the effect. And some of the new drugs, such as risperidone and olanzapine, are even better at reducing delusions and hallucinations than the first antipsychotics.

Risperidone is effectively used in the clinical practice of borderline conditions - hypochondriacal disorders, depersonalization, which is often observed in sluggish schizophrenia. It successfully copes with social phobia and agoraphobia, relieves anxiety, which underlies the mechanism of development of obsessions and phobic disorders.

Antipsychotics of the new generation normalize the neurotransmitter balance, thereby providing the maximum clinical and pharmacological effect in the treatment of schizophrenia. They selectively act on dopamine, serotonin and other types of receptors in brain structures, which ensures not only the success of treatment, but also its safety for the patient. In addition, new antipsychotics, in particular risperidone, are the drugs of choice in the treatment of schizophrenia attacks in the elderly, who are at increased risk of complications due to extrapyramidal disorders and impaired cognitive function.

For the treatment of schizophrenia, such drugs from a new generation of pharmaceuticals can now be used:

Aripiprazole;

Blonanserin;

ziprasidone;

Ipoperidal;

Sertindole.

They also include first-generation atypical antipsychotics such as quetiapine, risperidone, and olanzapine.

A tangible advantage of modern neuroleptics is good tolerance by patients, a minimum of side effects, and a reduction in the risk of drug depression and cognitive and motor impairments. New antipsychotic drugs not only cope well with delusional disorders and hallucinations, but also remove negative schizophrenic symptoms - disorders of memory, speech and thinking.

Characteristics of some alternative treatments for schizophrenia

For the treatment of schizophrenia in specialized clinics, many procedures and therapeutic techniques developed at different times are used, which, although not classified as general list international standards, but are often quite effective, prolonging remission and improving the patient's quality of life.

Treatment with cytokines

This is a kind of drug treatment of schizophrenia, which does not use substances that affect the central nervous system (like antipsychotics), but drugs that improve the functioning of the immune system and stimulate regeneration processes in the body - cytokines.

Cytokines are administered as injections or inhalations, the course of treatment with injections is usually five days, inhalations are done daily for ten days, then every three days for 3 months. Cytokines for intramuscular injections called anti-TNF-alpha and anti-IFN-gamma effectively restore damaged areas of the brain and provide stable remission.

Stem cell treatment

The cause of schizophrenia can be pathologies or cell death of the hippocampus, so stem cell treatment gives nice results in the treatment of the disease. Stem cells are injected into the hippocampus, where they replace dead structures and stimulate their regeneration. Such treatment is carried out only after the final relief of the attack with the stabilization of the patient's condition and can significantly prolong the remission.

Treatment by communication

Communication with an experienced specialist can give good results:

To increase the social adaptation of the patient;

To form in him the correct perception of the disease;

Practice self-control skills.

Such treatment is used during the period of remission in order to prolong it. Therapy gives results only if the personality has not undergone significant changes during the course of the disease, and the patient does not have schizophrenic dementia.

Hypnosis treatment

Hypnosis is a form of communication therapy. During the period of remission, the doctor begins a conversation with the patient when he is in the most suggestible state, or introduces him into this state artificially, after which he gives him a setting, forming the skills necessary for a person to independently control the disease.

Treatment of schizophrenia at home

Hospitalization is necessary for the patient only during a psychotic episode, therapy continues until the condition stabilizes (on average, this takes about 4-8 weeks). When the episode passes, the patient continues outpatient treatment, provided that he has relatives or guardians who will monitor compliance with the doctor's instructions.

If the patient refuses to take medication and follow the treatment regimen, becomes irritable and shows unusual features for him, he should be taken to the doctor, change the form of the drug to a prolonged one. At the same time, the medication is required only once a week and does not require control by the patient, since it occurs under the supervision of a specialist.

Unusual behavior of the patient may be a sign of impending psychosis, you should immediately consult a doctor.

Rules of behavior with a patient with schizophrenia on the eve of a psychotic attack:

Avoid command and imperative tone, irritation and rudeness when communicating;

Minimize factors that can cause arousal or severe emotional reaction sick;

Avoid threats, blackmail and promises of bad consequences if a person does not obey you and violates any order;

Speech should be even, calm and, if possible, quiet and measured;

It is necessary to avoid criticism of the patient's behavior and disputes both with him and with other people in his presence;

Stand opposite the patient so that your face is at the level of his eyes, and not above;

Don't leave a schizophrenic in indoors, if possible, fulfill his requests, if they do not harm him and others.

Treatment prognosis

In 24% of cases, the treatment of schizophrenia is successful and the person recovers completely, that is, the rest of his life goes into remission and psychosis no longer occurs.

30% of patients after treatment feel a significant improvement in their condition, they can take care of themselves, do housework and engage in simple activities without unnecessary mental and emotional stress. Relapse of the disease is possible.

In 20% of cases, after treatment, there is no tangible improvement, a person is not capable of even primitive activities, needs permanent care and supervision by relatives or doctors. Periodically, attacks are repeated, and hospitalization is required.

In 10-15% of cases, schizophrenia causes the death of a person, since in a state of psychosis, approximately 50% of people try to commit suicide.

Favorable treatment of schizophrenia depends on prompt medical attention. Schizophrenia, the manifest form of which came at a late age, is best cured. Short bright and emotional attacks respond well to drug treatment, while the likelihood of a long remission is high.

It is believed that a person diagnosed with schizophrenia has mental disorders that accompany him throughout his life. However, this is not quite true. If the disease is diagnosed at an early stage of development and all necessary measures are taken to treat this disease, then there is a possibility that a person will live a normal full life.

Is there a cure for schizophrenia?

There is a well-established opinion in society that it is impossible to recover from schizophrenia and that it is a stamp for life. In fact, you should not be so skeptical about this diagnosis. Is there a cure for schizophrenia? To answer the question, it is recommended to look at this diagnosis from a different angle. Namely, treat this disease like any other chronic illness. An example is a disease such as diabetes mellitus. Mankind has not come up with a way to get rid of it, but there are certain rules, following which a person can lead a normal life and keep his body in good shape. So is schizophrenia treatable or not? Answering this question, it is necessary to take into account the fact that if you learn to follow certain rules, then it will become possible to exercise control over your condition.

Each person is individual, and schizophrenia has its own characteristics of the course. They can manifest differently in different people. There is a statistic that one in five people with schizophrenia gets better after five years. At this stage, one should understand what improvement means and whether schizophrenia is treated. Now let's figure it out.

How are improvements in this disease manifested?

First, it should be understood that improvement is a long process in a disease such as schizophrenia. Psychiatry highlights several aspects of this condition. Secondly, you need to know that the recovery process implies a person's desire to constantly work and achieve their goals. During this period, the patient will experience both normalization of the condition and exacerbation of the disease. An important point is the support of loved ones who can provide help you need at the moment when it is necessary for a person diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Psychiatry says that improving the condition of a person who is ill with this disease means minimizing the symptoms of the disease, preventing seizures. It is also necessary to establish a normal perception of reality for the patient, thanks to which he will be able to lead a normal life.

What affects the positive outcome of treatment?

Men and women are usually the same. But there are also differences. They lie in the fact that the symptoms of schizophrenia in men are more aggressive and frightening. They need attention and understanding of loved ones.

They are of a softer nature. There are hallucinations. Interesting is the fact that this disease can provoke childbirth. When answering the question of whether schizophrenia is treated in women, it should be borne in mind that this is a hereditary disease. And it is amenable to therapy to the same extent as in men. But if we talk about whether schizophrenia is treated in adolescents, then the important point here is the early diagnosis of the disease.

Facts to pay attention to in treatment

It is worth saying that modern medicine does not offer any specific ways by which a person can be cured of schizophrenia. But this disease is treatable. There are also ways to prevent attacks and exacerbations of the disease. If the patient has the right attitude and strives for recovery, then he has every chance to become a full-fledged member of society and lead a normal life, work, and so on.

If a person is diagnosed with schizophrenia, this does not mean that he needs to be constantly in the hospital. With the correct and timely approach to treatment, the patient will be able to avoid crisis situations in which a medical examination of the patient and being under observation may be necessary. It should be remembered that in any situation there is hope for recovery. The main thing is not to lose heart, but to take certain actions. Thanks to them, you can achieve the desired results.

Non-medical methods of diagnosing waronia

There is a schizophrenia test that you can take. Note that this test is not the basis for a diagnosis. It shows whether a person is predisposed to such a disease or not. The schizophrenia test presents a set of questions. By answering them, a person gains a certain number of points. The developers of the test determined the norm. It is believed that if a person has scored points, and they do not exceed a certain amount, then he is not prone to schizophrenia. The test is psychological in nature.

The questions are quite simple, for example, "do your relatives annoy you" or "do you have obsessive thoughts" and so on. In addition to the verification method, where you need to answer questions, there is a test optical illusion. It's called the Chaplin mask. It is assumed that healthy people see Chaplin's convex face from both sides of the mask. And those who have a penchant for mental disorder see the other side of the mask as concave. These methods do not have any medical accuracy.

Methods of treatment of schizophrenia. Patient involvement in therapy

First of all, it is necessary that the person is diagnosed correctly. The staging process requires a fairly long period of time. Since the symptoms of this disease can overlap with other mental disorders of a person. It takes time to monitor the patient to make a diagnosis. In addition, it is better if the person who has experience in treating such people will do it.

Therefore, at the first suspicion of schizophrenia or a mental disorder, you should consult a doctor. This should be done. Since for effective treatment a correct diagnosis is needed. And starting from it, they will prescribe a treatment regimen for the disease. If the diagnosis is made accurately, then the therapy will be effective.

There are cases when a person who is ill with schizophrenia does not realize this himself and resists being told that he is not completely healthy. But relatives who see mental abnormalities need to see a doctor. If the person himself notices this kind of problem in his body, then he is also recommended to seek medical help.

A sick person needs to know what requires an integrated approach. This disease cannot be cured with medication alone. In addition, it is necessary to ensure communication with doctors, relatives, have psychological support loved ones. It is important not to fall out of society, but to continue to communicate with people around you. You should also lead a healthy lifestyle and eat right. A healthy lifestyle is understood as the observance of the daily regimen, walking, physical education.

Another important factor that will ensure the recovery process in schizophrenia is that the patient is an active participant in the treatment. The patient must be prepared to participate in this process, pronounce your feelings from taking this or that drug, talk about your well-being and share your emotional mood with loved ones and your doctor.

The course of schizophrenia and the mood of a sick person for recovery

First of all, do not fall into despair. If there are people in the environment of a person who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia who believe that this disease is incurable, then you should not communicate with them. It is better that those for whom this person remains a person, regardless of illness, are present. You need to constantly maintain a relationship with your doctor. It is recommended to monitor the dosage of medications prescribed by the psychiatrist. If the patient has concerns that he has been prescribed too high a dose of medication or, conversely, too little, then it is necessary to talk to the doctor. He needs to express his concerns about this. It should also be clarified which side effects from taking any drug. It is important for the patient to be honest with himself and the psychiatrist. If the patient observes side effects, then you need to tell the doctor about this and change the treatment regimen or change the amount of the remedy. The patient should be aware that determining the dosage of medications is a joint work of the doctor and the patient. Therefore, you need to take an active part in it.

Also, a person diagnosed with schizophrenia should learn to use special therapy, which includes the ability to control the symptoms of this disease. Namely, if the patient has any obsessive thoughts or he hears extraneous voices, then through special therapy he can switch and take himself away from these states. Also, the patient should learn to motivate himself for any actions.

For schizophrenics, setting and achieving goals is an important part of the recovery process. In no case should you give up on society.

Patient support

Those patients who receive support from relatives and other close people are very lucky. The participation of people around you in the treatment process is an important component of recovery. It has also been found that when the patient is surrounded by understanding and kindness, the occurrence of relapses is minimized.

A person who is ill is advised to speak with relatives and friends who, in his opinion, can help if bouts of schizophrenia occur. It is necessary to explain to them what kind of assistance is expected from them. As a rule, when people ask for help, they go to a meeting. Especially when it comes to health. Enlisting support, a patient diagnosed with schizophrenia will be easier to cope with the disease.

Another important factor that will contribute to recovery is work. For people with mental disabilities it is better to work. Unless, of course, the state of health allows and there is no disability in schizophrenia. You can use volunteer work. There are communities of people suffering from this disease. In order to avoid a lack of communication, it is recommended to join them. Some people find it helpful to visit temples. Need to create favorable environment around you. The same rule can be followed by healthy people. The difference is that the mentally healthy can handle stress or psychological discomfort. And it is better for a person with deviations to avoid such situations that can cause a relapse.

A favorable circumstance for the patient is living in a family. Love and understanding of close people are one of the main positive factors for curing schizophrenia. Under no circumstances should alcohol or drugs be consumed. Since they provide negative impact on the body of a sick person.

People diagnosed with schizophrenia are prescribed antipsychotics. It should be remembered that the treatment of this disease is complex. Therefore, taking drugs is one of the components of therapy.

You also need to understand that these drugs do not cure a person from a disease such as schizophrenia. Their action is aimed at eliminating the symptoms of this disease, such as hallucinations, delusions, obsessive thoughts, chaotic thinking, and so on.

Taking these drugs will not ensure the entry of a person into society, setting any goals for them and motivating them to certain actions.

Negative effects of drugs

Also, this type of drug has a number of concomitant manifestations:

1. Drowsiness.
2. Prostration.
3. Chaotic movements may occur.
4. There is excess weight.
5. Sexual function is lost.

If these manifestations interfere with normal life, then you should consult a doctor and reduce the dose of drugs or change the treatment regimen.

It is not recommended to independently reduce the amount of the drug or switch to another drug. This can be harmful to health, cause a relapse and so on. Therefore, a consultation with a psychiatrist is necessary.

How to find the optimal drug?

The main task in the search the right medicine in schizophrenia is that it has the desired effect, and side effects are minimized. It should also be borne in mind that a person takes such drugs for a long time, sometimes for life. Therefore, the choice must be taken very carefully. If necessary, change to another medicine.

The difficulty in choosing an antipsychotic is that it is not clear how it will affect the body and what side effects may occur. Therefore, the process of selecting a drug can be quite long and complicated. It is also necessary to choose the right dosage for each individual patient.

As a rule, the improvement of the patient's condition after the start of taking medication occurs in one and a half or two months. There are cases when a person gets better after a few days. When there is no positive dynamics even after two months, then you need to either increase the dose or change the drug.

So is schizophrenia completely curable? Can't be 100% guaranteed. But it is possible to remove its symptoms.

What types of medications are prescribed for schizophrenia?

Currently, drugs that are prescribed for this disease can be divided into two groups. Namely, drugs of the old generation and the new. The first means are neuroleptics. And to the new - atypical drugs.

Antipsychotics have been known since ancient times, they remove hallucinations, obsessive thoughts, and so on. But they have disadvantages. They can cause such unpleasant symptoms, how:

1. Anxiety.
2. Slowness.
3. Shaky gait.
4. Pain in the muscles.
5. Temporary paralysis may occur.
6. Spasms.
7. Chaotic movements.

The new generation of drugs are called atypical antipsychotics. AT last years they are used more often for the treatment of this disease. This is due to the fact that there are much fewer side effects from taking these drugs.

According to statistics, schizophrenia is one of the most common mental illnesses. To date, approximately 45 million people (more than 1% of the total population of the planet), representatives of various races, nations and cultures, suffer from the symptoms of this disease. Most cases of its development were recorded in adolescence. To a lesser extent, manifestations of the disease are noted after twenty years. Very rarely, its development begins after the fiftieth milestone. Experts do not have a clear definition of the causes of the disorder, but regardless of this, the treatment of schizophrenia must be dealt with in a timely manner, since it threatens with serious consequences, up to disability. In addition, one in ten people suffering from this disorder have attempted suicide.

Over the past century, this disease has attracted the attention of scientists from various fields. Geneticists, biochemists, immunologists, clinicians, psychologists and psychiatrists, as well as many other specialists, are thinking about how to cure schizophrenia. An important role in this matter is played by the etiology of the disease. It is worth saying that the study of the causes of its development is carried out in two main directions: psychological and biological. The most important factors contributing to the development of the disease, experts include the following:

• genetic predisposition. According to medical statistics, people whose relatives also suffered from this disorder need treatment for schizophrenia. This disease occurs in 10% of cases. Often the symptoms of schizophrenia appear in identical twins. So, for example, if this disorder is observed in one, then the probability that its symptoms will occur in the second is approximately 65%.
• Violations in the prenatal period. The impact of any infections on the fetus during fetal development provokes the appearance of signs of schizophrenia in it.
• Features of education. According to experts, this version is considered only a hypothesis. Its essence lies in the fact that signs of schizophrenia can occur in people whose parents in childhood paid them insufficient attention.
• social factors. These include various stressful situations. So, for example, researchers believe that schizophrenia can be caused by: poverty, unemployment, instability, conflicts, frequent change of housing.
• The use of narcotic substances. Quite often, people who use amphetamines and other hallucinogenic drugs are interested in how to treat schizophrenia.

And yet, most researchers agree that this mental disorder occurs against the background of unfavorable heredity. However, a combination of such factors as alcoholism, systematic stress, prolonged depression and social problems can enhance the rapid development of schizophrenia.

Which doctor should I go to?

At the first manifestations of a mental disorder, you should seek help from a qualified specialist. Only a doctor can answer the question: how can schizophrenia be cured. With such a problem, you should go to an appointment with such specialists:

It may also require the intervention of a narcologist. The help of this doctor is necessary if schizophrenia has developed against the background of taking drugs. The diagnosis is made based on the identified symptoms. In order to understand the clinical picture and answer the question: is it possible to completely cure schizophrenia, the doctor must listen to the patient's complaints and ask a series of questions:

1. How long have you been bothered by uncharacteristic manifestations?
2. Are there auditory and visual hallucinations?
3. Does anyone in your family suffer from schizophrenia or other mental disorders?
4. How often do attacks of unmotivated aggression occur?
5. What are the bad habits?

The specialist will also conduct psychological tests. However, one survey is not enough to make such a serious diagnosis as "schizophrenia", so the doctor will also prescribe sleep monitoring and other hardware research methods. Only after the received answers can a conclusion be made about the mental state of the patient.

How to cure schizophrenia: medicinal methods

If the diagnosis is confirmed, then the person needs medical therapy. Many scientists have long wondered whether the symptoms of schizophrenia can be completely treated. However, they all came to the conclusion that today it is not possible to get rid of the symptoms of this disease. But properly selected medications can alleviate the patient's condition. These include the following groups of drugs:

• Antipsychotics;
• Antidepressants (eliminate depression and apathy);
• Anxiolytics (reduce anxiety and excitability);
• Nootropics (stimulate mental activity);
• Normotimics (regulate the affective environment).

In the treatment of schizophrenia, all these groups of psychotropic drugs are used, but the main role is assigned to antipsychotics. As a rule, oral forms of drugs are prescribed, since injections cause the patient to associate with violence. Injections are used only to relieve psychomotor agitation. A well-designed course of treatment gives positive results. So, for example, in patients who received prescribed drugs, the number of relapses was halved.

Effective Treatments

An important role in the fight against this disease, experts assign the creation of a favorable microclimate in the environment of the patient. It is also necessary to have an active position and desire for the recovery of the patient himself in the course of treatment. First of all, a person must be able to notice the first signs of a relapse and take the necessary measures to eliminate it. Only then will the psychiatrist answer the question of how exactly and whether schizophrenia can be cured. The method of combating the disease includes the following components:

• social therapy;
• Electroconvulsive treatment (passing electrical impulses through the body);
• Psychotherapy.

Surgery is rarely used in the treatment of schizophrenia. However, in the absence positive results after applying other techniques, an operation may also be prescribed. But more often the totality of all therapeutic manipulations, when carefully performed, brings good results. Over time, such qualities as self-confidence, communication skills and the ability to think logically can return to the patient.

Despite the stereotype that has developed in the public mind, schizophrenia is quite treatable. Of course, it cannot be said that schizophrenia can be cured completely, do not confuse the concepts of “treatable” and “curable”. Successful treatment means controlling the symptoms, while cure means the complete elimination of the causes.

There will be no cure for schizophrenia until we understand why it occurs. But simultaneously with the search for causes, we must constantly work on improving the methods of treatment. Perhaps the most serious problem that first of all confronts relatives and friends of a patient with schizophrenia is the search for a qualified psychiatrist.

Since schizophrenia is a biological disease and because medication is needed to deal with it, medical advice should not be neglected. In order to properly treat, sooner or later you will have to go to a doctor who will have to not only prescribe this or that medicine, but also carry out primary diagnosis schizophrenia. Before starting treatment, you need to make sure that the patient actually has schizophrenia, and not another brain disease. Only a doctor can make a decision on this issue.

In most cases, people with schizophrenia acute form need hospitalization in a psychiatric hospital (clinic). This hospitalization serves several purposes. Most importantly, it allows you to remove a psychotic episode that is dangerous for both the patient and his environment.

It also enables specialists ( , ) to observe the patient in a controlled environment.

The results of the observations will tell you how to treat schizophrenia most effectively for each specific case. At the same time, psychological tests can be performed and the necessary laboratory tests, drug treatment can be started, and in conditions where trained personnel have the opportunity to monitor the occurrence of side effects. Often hospitalization is necessary in order to protect the patients themselves. An alternative to hospitalization can be the placement of patients in a day hospital or observation in a dispensary.

How to treat schizophrenia - an integrated approach

An early combination of medical and psychosocial treatment will make it possible to cut off the disease in its infancy and radically change its course for the better.

Most important element treatments are drugs. Essential drugs used to treat schizophrenia are commonly referred to as antipsychotics or antipsychotics (neuroleptics). The effectiveness of the use of these medicines has been proven by many years of practice.

For each individual patient, the drug and its dosage are selected individually and depend on the sensitivity of the body and the characteristics of the manifestation of the disease. In practice, each patient with schizophrenia or his relatives should have with him a list of drugs he has tried, which would indicate the doses and the effect (or lack of it) noted. This can be of enormous benefit and save the patient and physician many weeks of trial-and-error selection of the right drug in the future.

When medications don't help right away, don't despair! The delayed effect of treatment is associated with the mechanism of action of neuroleptics (they need time to reliably block the focus of the disease), so it is impossible to talk about the results of their use earlier than after 6-8 weeks. But the therapeutic effect is stable and increases with time.

Psychosocial Therapy

Starting from the acute period of the disease, it is reasonable to use along with medicines and psychosocial therapy. A psychiatrist, a clinical psychologist, a psychotherapist, and a social worker take part in the modern "team" work with the patient and their family members. The methods of therapy may be different, but in any case, they develop partnerships not only between the doctor and the patient, but also involve relatives in the treatment.