Schizophrenia

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Schizophrenia

The brain is one of the most vital organs of the central nervous system along with the spinal cord. It controls physical body functions like the heart rate and respiration, and also controls our emotions, thoughts, etc.

The brain is a collection of 10 billion interconnected neurons in which messages are passed from one neuron to another through neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin.

Schizophrenia is a syndrome characterized by disturbances in emotions, thought, activity, and language, that leaves patients fearful and withdrawn.

The cause of schizophrenia is not entirely clear. It may occur due to an increase in the level of dopamine in the mesolimbic pathway which leads to positive symptoms such as delusions, hallucinations and conceptual disorganization.

Schizophrenia may also occur due to a decrease in the level of dopamine in the prefrontal cortex which leads to negative symptoms such as loss of function, lack of interest, impaired concentration, lack of energy and lack of motivation.

There are four main types of Schizophrenia
# Catatonic
# Paranoid
# Disorganized and
# Residual

Treatment for Schizophrenia includes
# Psychological counseling and
# Antipsychotic drugs such as

* Chlorpromazine
* Loxapine
* Haloperidol
* Clozapine


Childhood schizophrenia
Introduction
Schizophrenia is a chronic, debilitating mental illness that causes people to experience the world differently than most other people do. Consequently, the way they communicate and behave often appears to be disorganized, illogical, detached, imaginary or paranoid.

Childhood schizophrenia is rare, affecting an estimated one in 40,000 children under the age of 13. During early teen years, the rate of schizophrenia onset in the general population begins to increase, and the peak rates of onset lie between the ages of 15 and 30. Males tend to experience the first signs and symptoms of schizophrenia at the younger end of this range, while onset in females is usually at the older end.

While childhood schizophrenia is essentially the same brain disorder as schizophrenia in adults, the early age of onset presents special considerations for diagnosis, treatment, educational needs, emotional and social development, family relationships, and other factors.

Although there's no cure for childhood schizophrenia, medications and well-coordinated mental health care services can help families manage the disease, learn strategies to cope with the effects of childhood schizophrenia, and address other child and adolescent developmental needs.