What is schizophrenia like? It’s a question that most people don’t know how to ask. First off, schizophrenia is a type of psychosis and the different types of psychosis are experienced differently. Schizophrenia is classed as a primary psychotic disorder. Having schizophrenia is where your brain speeds up to unbelievable speeds. You can’t describe how fast your head goes and all you want to do is be in that fantasy world that your brain has created. It’s like getting the next chapter of that book, You want to know how the story ends but the story never ends because it can’t end, because it’s about you and your life is continuing. Any interruption of that story is an irritant because you’re so engulfed in what’s going on in your head. Some delusions come from dreams, But you don’t just wake up and have these delusions, they’re triggered throughout the day.
My life is now filled with me pacing and talking to myself. Sometimes, to the point, I can’t walk. Doctors once called it dementia praecox, because they thought it was a sign of dementia, but later studies showed it was of its own standing. 12% of your frontal lobe is missing in schizophrenia and this is what causes what you see in the person with schizophrenia. You can actually see schizophrenia in most people. This is due to it being the workings of the brain. It looks like a stoke, but this can vary depending on the person.
Violence in schizophrenia is unfortunately common, it is due to the person lashing out, because of either a delusion (a false belief) or intrusion on what they are currently thinking. They call this thought disorder; it is where your brain’s thoughts leap out of your head.
what to do when a loved one is schizophrenic
If you’re in the United Kingdom, call the police and explain that you’re worried and also explain what their current state is and what they are doing.
your loved one will be taken to a ward, and in time they will return to their normal self. There are usually visiting times on wards and lots of other people that are still going through their own recovery. Depending on the section, a ward can be a few months or even a few weeks.
On release
After the ward your loved one will be put into secondary care. This is usually called an Early Intervention team. They only deal with first-episode psychosis and the person leaves after two years of treatment. The first episode of psychosis lasts for two years and while under the team, it can come back. Most people go on to lead happy and healthy lives, but for a very small few, they are kept in secondary care.
Types of treatment
All types of treatment include antipsychotics, but the’re are different deliveries of the medication.
An injection often call depo, is given to the person, and over time they build up the dose.
A pill is the most common and this too takes time to build up and the person to feel and seem well again.
There is a third, it’s an oral solution that the person can put in water and drink.
Most importantly,
Your loved one has gone through something that has changed the way they saw the world, once better they can tell you themselves what they went through. Give them support and understanding. I see my psychosis as a liver problem, just it’s with my brain. It’s actually not that different.
