Schizophrenia affects the mental functioning of a person and may cause changes to their personality. In Australia approximately one person in every hundred people are affected. Schizophrenia is more common in adolescents and in early adulthood. Some people may suffer one or two episodes or others may suffer from reoccurring episodes.
(Symptoms will vary from person to person)
The onset of Schizophrenia may occur quite quickly with symptoms developing over a matter of weeks. In other cases, schizophrenia may take months or years to develop.
Delusions are false, frequently bizarre beliefs, for example the idea that aliens or spies are controlling one's actions. A person may believe that they have special abilities, that they are a famous historical person, or that the government is trying to "get them".
Hallucinations are false sensory perceptions. Hearing voices is the most common symptom, but other hallucinations may involve seeing, feeling, smelling or tasting things that are not actually there.
"Thought disorder" is the term used to describe the confused and illogical thinking that is often characteristic of schizophrenia. Speech may be mixed up and difficult to follow, jumping around from subject to subject in an erratic way.
Children with parents who have schizophrenia are more likely to be at risk of suffering from schizophrenia than those children that don’t have parents with a mental illness. Research indicates that there is a higher likelihood of inheriting the illness if there is a family history.
Schizophrenia has been linked to the neurotransmitter dopamine.
Stress, negative experiences and high anxiety may increase the likelihood of developing schizophrenia. Stress can often be linked to mental illness but it is not known if it is the cause.
Drugs such as Cannabis and LSD have been linked to the development of schizophrenia in some cases.
In every case, there is a need for careful medical and psychological assessment, as people experience their mental illness in a variety of ways and the effects of the condition will also vary from person to person.
There is a need for a range of interventions, including: specific drug therapy, education, and psychological therapy.
The most common drug therapy is a prescription for anti-psychosis medication, which helps to re-orient chemical message systems in the brain. Some people will need to take medication for the remainder of their life to manage the illness.
There are a range of psychological therapies for schizophrenia, aimed at helping the person decrease anxiety, stop drug/alcohol use, resolve life stresses, and, overall, to promote better coping skills. Education and counselling help the person reduce stress, resolve conflicts, manage their life more effectively, develop new ways of thinking about themselves and the world and develop new ways of enjoying activities.
Part of the treatment may involve helping the person avoid family conflicts and develop ways of using their family as a means of support and encouragement.
Your medical practitioner can help develop the most appropriate treatment approach for any individual, possibly also drawing upon the expertise of other professionals.
Your regular medical practitioner.
Your local community health centre.
National Depression Awareness Campaign Mental Health Foundation of Australia Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited270 Church Street,Richmond 3121Tel: (03) 9427 0407
ARAFEMI - Association of Relatives and Friends of the Emotionally and Mentally ill.615 Camberwell Road,CAMBERWELL 3124Tel: (03) 9889 1777Fax: (03) 98892878
Mental Health Foundation of Australia (Victoria)270 Church Street,Richmond 3121Tel: (03) 9427 0406
AICAFMHA - Australian Infant, Child, Adolescent and Family Mental HealthTel: (08) 8132 0786Email: secretary@aicfmha.net.au
