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Schizophrenia - Introduction
- Highlights
- Introduction
- Causes
- Risk Factors
- Complications
- Symptoms
- Diagnosis
- Treatment
- Medications
- Psychotherapy
- Other Treatments
Description
An in-depth report on the causes, diagnosis, and treatment of schizophreniaIntroduction:
Schizophrenia is a group of psychotic disorders that interfere with thinking and mental or emotional responsiveness. It is a disease of the brain. The term schizophrenia, which means "split mind," was first used in 1911 by Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler to categorize patients whose thought processes and emotional responses seemed disconnected. Despite its name, the condition does not cause a split personality.
Schizophrenia is characterized by the following symptoms:
- Delusions
- Hallucinations
- Disordered thinking
- Emotional unresponsiveness
Because symptoms of schizophrenia arise from various physical processes and respond differently to treatments, some doctors recommend classifying the disease based on the presence of the following symptom groups:
- Negative symptoms (including apathy and social withdrawal)
- Psychotic symptoms
- Disordered thinking
Some psychiatrists group psychotic and disordered thinking into a single category called positive symptoms.
The disease is complicated by the fact that although a schizophrenic patient may have more than one symptom, the patient rarely has all of them. Symptoms also often go into remission.
Resources
- www.nimh.nih.gov -- National Institute of Mental Health
- www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov -- National Mental Health Information Center
- www.nami.org -- National Alliance on Mental Illness
- www.nmha.org -- Mental Health America
- www.narsad.org -- National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression
- www.psych.org -- American Psychiatric Association
- www.aacap.org -- American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
- www.world-schizophrenia.org -- World Fellowship for Schizophrenia and Allied Disorders
- www.schizophrenia.com -- Information resources and research news
References
Aleman A, Sommer IE, Kahn RS. Efficacy of slow repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in the treatment of resistant auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia: a meta-analysis. J Clin Psychiatry. 2007 Mar;68(3):416-21.
Bhattacharjee J, El-Sayeh HG. Aripiprazole versus typicals for schizophrenia. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2008 Jan 23;(1):CD006617.
Kahn RS, Fleischhacker WW, Boter H, Davidson M, Vergouwe Y, Keet IP, et al. Effectiveness of antipsychotic drugs in first-episode schizophrenia and schizophreniform disorder: an open randomised clinical trial. Lancet. 2008 Mar 29;371(9618):1085-97.
Leucht C, Kitzmantel M, Chua L, Kane J, Leucht S. Haloperidol versus chlorpromazine for schizophrenia. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2008 Jan 23;(1):CD004278.
Lieberman JA. Effectiveness of antipsychotic drugs in patients with chronic schizophrenia: efficacy, safety and cost outcomes of CATIE and other trials. J Clin Psychiatry. 2007 Feb;68(2):e04.
Marder SR, West B, Lau GS, et al. Aripiprazole effects in patients with acute schizophrenia experiencing higher or lower agitation: a post hoc analysis of 4 randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials. J Clin Psychiatry. 2007 May;68(5):662-8.
Mathews M, Muzina DJ. Atypical antipsychotics: new drugs, new challenges. Cleve Clin J Med. 2007 Aug;74(8):597-606.
McEvoy JP, Lieberman JA, Perkins DO, et al. Efficacy and tolerability of olanzapine, quetiapine, and risperidone in the treatment of early psychosis: a randomized, double-blind 52-week comparison. Am J Psychiatry. 2007 Jul;164(7):1050-60.
Morrens M, Hulstijn W, Sabbe B. Psychomotor slowing in schizophrenia. Schizophr Bull. 2007 Jul;33(4):1038-53. Epub 2006 Nov 8.
Newcomer JW. Metabolic considerations in the use of antipsychotic medications: a review of recent evidence. J Clin Psychiatry. 2007;68 Suppl 1:20-7.
Nussbaum A, Stroup TS. Paliperidone for schizophrenia. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2008 Apr 16;(2):CD006369.
Schultz SH, North SW, Shields CG. Schizophrenia: a review. Am Fam Physician. 2007 Jun 15;75(12):1821-9.
Sikich L, Frazier JA, McClellan J, Findling RL, Vitiello B, Ritz L, et al. Double-blind comparison of first- and second-generation antipsychotics in early-onset schizophrenia and schizo-affective disorder: findings from the treatment of early-onset schizophrenia spectrum disorders (TEOSS) study. Am J Psychiatry. 2008 Nov;165(11):1420-31. Epub 2008 Sep 15.
Swartz MS, Perkins DO, Stroup TS, et al. Effects of antipsychotic medications on psychosocial functioning in patients with chronic schizophrenia: findings from the NIMH CATIE study. Am J Psychiatry. 2007 Mar;164(3):428-36.
Torrey EF, Bartko JJ, Lun ZR, Yolken RH. Antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii in patients with schizophrenia: a meta-analysis. Schizophr Bull. 2007 May;33(3):729-36. Epub 2006 Nov 3.
- Reviewed last on: 1/22/2009
- Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
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