Mental illnesses are inexplicable and mysterious. Society avoids people who suffer from them. Why does this happen? Perhaps some forms of mental disorder are transmitted by airborne droplets? The mysterious word "schizophrenic" causes a huge number of conflicting feelings and negative associations. But who is a schizophrenic and is he dangerous to others?
A bit of history
The term "schizophrenia" was formed from two Greek words: "schizo" - split, "fren" - mind. The name of the disease was invented by the psychiatry professor Paul Eigen Bleuler and stated that it should remain relevant until scientists find an effective way to cure. Symptoms of the disease itself were described by a psychiatrist from Russia back in 1987, although it was then called "ideophrenia".
Who is schizophrenic? Bright minds are looking for the answer to this question. A lot is known about the disease and nothing is known. Normal behavior is mixed with inadequacy, smart thoughts border on implausible nonsense. Bleuler called this emotional, volitional and intellectual ambivalence.
Most often at the initial stage only the family guesses about the condition of the relative. The fact that the disease manifests itself is very strange: a patient with schizophrenia rejects relatives, and with them all deviations from the norm and the symptoms of the disease are noticeable, while with familiar and colleagues the behavior remains the same. This is a completely logical and reasonable explanation. Formal, superficial communication does not require such enormous emotional costs, as a spiritual connection. Personality is damaged, is at the stage of destruction, so love is a painful sphere, a person has neither moral nor physical strength to squander himself on it. So what is a schizophrenic? This is a person suffering from a serious illness, which is characterized by a number of signs:
- The emotional coldness is manifested. A person's feelings go to relatives and friends. Gradually, complete indifference is replaced by causeless aggression and anger towards close people.
- Lost interest in entertainment, hobbies. Aimless empty days replace your favorite activities.
- Instinctive feelings are weakening. This is characterized by the fact that a person can skip meals, ignore the heat or cold, bring his own appearance beyond recognition: there is untidiness, sloppiness, absolute indifference to clothing and elementary daily procedures( brushing your teeth, caring for your face, body, hair and tetc.)
- There may be statements that can not withstand any criticism, crazy ideas, strange and inappropriate remarks.
- Appear auditory and visual hallucinations. The danger is that sometimes verbal voices do not simply convey information, but encourage action: to cause grave harm to oneself or others.
- Who is schizophrenic? First of all, it is a person who is prone to hypochondriacal neurosis, has many different phobias and unreasonable fears, suffers from depersonalization.
- At an early stage, there are obsessions( frightening obsessive thoughts and images).
- You can also see lethargy, apathy, insomnia, inhibition and a complete lack of sexual needs.
The state of psychosis
Under the condition of psychosis is meant a spring exacerbation in schizophrenics. It is characterized by a loss of connection with the real world. The orientation is reduced, the usual symptoms take on a hypertrophic form. It is believed that even a healthy person experiences a certain discomfort in the autumn-spring period. This is expressed by melancholy, general lethargy, beriberi, decreased efficiency.
Nevertheless, many "soul doctors" argue that the spring exacerbation of schizophrenics is more a myth than a reality. The aggravation of the disease is very rarely confined to a certain time of the year.
Experiment by Rosenkhan
In the distant 1973, the psychologist D. Rozenkhan conducted an unprecedented and risky experiment. He explained to the whole world how to become schizophrenic and return to normal again. He was well versed in the symptoms of the disease, and did so well that he managed to simulate schizophrenia, get with such a diagnosis in a psychiatric clinic, and a week later completely "heal" and go back home.
After some time, an interesting experience was repeated, but now the brave psychologist was in the company of such bold friends. Each of them knew perfectly well how to become a schizophrenic, and after skillfully depicting healing. The story is interesting and instructive in that they were written out with the formulation of "schizophrenia in remission".Does this mean that psychiatrists do not leave a chance of recovery and a terrible diagnosis will persecute their whole life?
Great crazy
The theme "Famous schizophrenics" causes a lot of noisy debates. In the modern world, this unflattering epithet is awarded to almost every person who has achieved unprecedented heights in art or some other activity. Schizophrenic refers to every second writer, artist, actor, scholar, poet and philosopher. Naturally, the truths in these statements are few, and people tend to confuse talent, eccentricity and creativity with signs of mental illness.
Russian writer Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol was suffering from this ailment. Attacks of psychosis mixed with excitement and activity have borne fruit. It is schizophrenia caused by attacks of fear, hypochondria, claustrophobia. When the condition worsened, the famous manuscript was burned. The writer explained this by the machinations of Satan.
Vincent Van Gogh was ill with schizophrenia. Joy and fits of happiness were replaced by suicidal thoughts. The disease progressed, the painter came to the X-hour - a famous operation took place, during which he cut off his ear and sent this fragment to his beloved as a memorable souvenir, after which he was sent to an institution for the mentally ill.
German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche was diagnosed with schizophrenia. His behavior was not adequate, megalomania was a characteristic feature. There is a theory that it was his work that influenced the world view of Adolf Hitler and strengthened his desire to become "the master of the world."
It's no secret that schizophrenic scientists are not a myth. A striking example is the American mathematician John Forbes Nash. His diagnosis is "paranoid schizophrenia."John became known to the whole world thanks to the movie "Mind Games".He refused to take pills, explaining this by the fact that they could adversely affect his mental abilities. The surrounding people treated him like a harmless madman, but the mathematician was nevertheless awarded the Nobel Prize.
How to recognize a schizophrenic?
- The patient stops talking with relatives, as he sees in them conspirators, liars and enemies who wish him dead.
- Attacks of seclusion and seclusion can be replaced by excessive sociability.
- The schizophrenic talks to himself, and it's not about banal phrases like "Where are my keys?" Observations are completely devoid of logic, the conversation is built in a strange way, there is a "slipping" from one thought to another. There is a medical term for "reasoning" - a type of thinking characterized by inappropriate philosophizing, stupid, empty, banal judgments.
- Personality traits( accuracy and perfectionism give way to untidiness and slovenliness).
- Changes in perception, as a rule, are episodic.
- Strange behavior, unacceptable behavior.
But of course, the presence of some examples from the list does not mean that the person is seriously ill. Such a diagnosis is put out by competent specialists very carefully and carefully. After all, schizophrenia is a stigma and, to some extent, a verdict.
How not to incur the wrath of the patient?
As mentioned above, society avoids people with mental disorders, but this is not possible when a member of the family is a schizophrenic. What to do in this situation? First of all, carefully read the information on how to behave with a schizophrenic. There are a number of rules:
- Do not ask questions aimed at clarifying details of delusional statements.
- Do not argue, trying to prove the inconsistency of the patient's claims.
- If the patient experiences too strong experiences( fear, anger, hatred, sadness, anxiety), try to calm. But do not forget to call a doctor.
- With great care to express your own opinion.
- Do not mock and not be afraid.
Paranoid schizophrenia
Who is such a paranoid schizophrenic? He is a person suffering from delusions( jealousy, megalomania, persecution mania), subject to fears, doubts, hallucinations, disturbance of thinking. The disease occurs in people over 25 years of age and at the initial stage is of a sluggish character. This is one of the most common forms of schizophrenia.
"Heavy madness" child
For parents there is nothing more terrible than a sick child. Children-schizophrenics - this is often a phenomenon. They, of course, differ from their peers. The disease can occur even in the first year of life, but manifest much later. Gradually the child becomes withdrawn, abstracts from relatives, one can see a disorder of thinking and a complete loss of interest in ordinary affairs. The sooner the problem is revealed, the more effective the fight against it will be. There are some signs that should alert:
- Walking in a circle and from side to side.
- Fast excitement and almost instantaneous extinction.
- Impulsivity.
- Unmotivated tears, tantrums, laughter, aggression.
- Coldness.
- Lethargy, lack of initiative.
- Decay of speech in conjunction with immobility.
- Absurd behavior.
Childhood schizophrenia is terrible for its complications. If the process arose at the stage of personality formation, then an oligophrenic defect with mental retardation may appear.
Alternative treatment
There is one interesting theory how to change the life of a schizophrenic. Why are doctors of sciences, professors and genius doctors of modernity still not found an effective way to heal? It's very simple: schizophrenia is a disease of the soul, so drug treatment does not promote recovery, but only aggravates its course.
A temple of the Lord can become a panacea, it is he who heals souls. Of course, at first no one takes this method into service, but later, when the relatives come to despair, they are ready to try everything. And surprisingly, faith in the healing and power of the church can create a miracle.
Deteriorating the disease
Exacerbation of schizophrenics can panic impressionable relatives. An acute period of illness requires immediate hospitalization. This will protect the nearest environment and protect the patient. Sometimes there may be certain difficulties associated with the fact that the schizophrenic does not consider himself a sick person. All the arguments of the intellect will break against the deaf wall of his misunderstanding, so you need to act without his consent. Also it is necessary to familiarize with the signs, testifying to the approach of relapse:
- Change of the usual regime.
- Features of behavior that were observed before the last attack.
- Refusal to visit a psychiatrist.
- Absence or an overabundance of emotions.
If the signs are obvious, then it is necessary to inform the attending physician, reduce the possibility of negative influences on the patient from the outside, not to change the habitual rhythm and way of life.
Tips for loved ones
People who have such a relative are often at a loss and do not understand how to exist with him under one roof. To avoid excesses, it is worth studying information on how to live with a schizophrenic:
- Patients need long-term treatment and should be under constant monitoring.
- In the course of therapy, there will certainly be exacerbations and relapses.
- It is necessary to create a volume of work and household chores for the patient and never exceed it. Excessive care can harm.
- On the mentally ill you should not be angry, screaming, annoyed. They can not bear criticism.
It is also necessary to know the signs of an approaching suicide attempt:
- Common statements about the meaninglessness and frailty of existence, the sinfulness of people.
- Hopeless pessimism.
- Voices ordering suicide.
- The patient's conviction is that he suffers from an incurable disease.
- Sudden calm and fatalism.
To prevent tragedy, one must learn to distinguish "normal" behavior of a schizophrenic from an abnormal one. You can not ignore his talk about the desire to commit suicide, an ordinary person is able to thus achieve attention to his own person, but with a schizophrenic it is different. We should try to convey to his mind that the illness will soon go to the side and there will be relief. But you need to do this gently and unobtrusively.
It is bad if the patient suffers from alcohol or drug dependence, this aggravates the course of the disease, significantly complicates the rehabilitation process, causes resistance to drugs, and also increases the propensity to violence.
The topic of violence here stands apart. And many people are worried about the question: is there a chance that a schizophrenic will harm others? It should be noted right away that the social danger is exaggerated. Of course, precedents have taken place, but if you establish a trusting relationship with a mentally ill person and take care of him correctly, the risk is completely ruled out.