Manage Schizophrenia Effectively with MAVA Behavioral Health

Schizophrenia is a severe mental health state that affects people’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. It may cause a combination of hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized thinking and behavior. Hallucinations are when you see or hear things that no one else can see. Delusions are strong beliefs about things that aren’t true. According to modern research, it is believed that it is the outcome of untreated psychosis. Most of the individuals with schizophrenia are unaware of their mental health condition and may not think they require treatment. However, early schizophrenia treatment frequently helps control symptoms before major issues develop, improving the long-term outlook.

At MAVA Behavioral Health, our licensed healthcare providers will first analyze and evaluate your current mental health condition. Then, they will recommend the best medication for schizophrenia and create a personalized treatment plan tailored to your specific mental health needs.

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Symptoms of Schizophrenia

Delusions

Imagine unexpected events
Thinking of being harassed or harmed
Overthink being a famous personality

Hallucinations

Hearing or seeing objects that are not real
Unusual voices or sounds
Since the things that are around you in real

Disorganized Speech

Speaking in a way that is difficult to understand
Mixing words and phrases
Providing excessive and unnecessary details

Extremely Disorganized

Severe confusion and disorientation
A complete breakdown of logical reasoning
Social withdrawal or isolation

Cause of Schizophrenia

The causes of schizophrenia include:

Imbalanced brain chemicals
Brain development issues during childbirth
Loss of brain connections
Environmental factors like traumatic birth events
Genetics often plays a significant role in schizophrenia.

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Diagnosing Schizophrenia

Psychiatrists use particularly designed interviews and assessment tools to assess a person’s risk for continuing schizophrenia treatment afterward.The psychiatrist makes a diagnosis based on the person’s and family’s reports of symptoms, as well as their observations of the person’s attitude and behavior.

To be diagnosed with schizophrenia, you must have had at least two of these signs for at least six months:

Delusions
Hallucinations
Disorganized speech
Disorganized or catatonic behavior

You must have at least one month of active symptoms during the six months. It may be less if the schizophrenia treatment is done at continuous bases. Symptoms should hurt your social or professional life and cannot be caused by another condition.

Schizoaffective Disorder Vs. Schizophrenia

Schizoaffective Disorder

A mix of schizophrenia symptoms and mood problems like depression or mania.

Symptoms of both mood issues (like feeling very sad or very happy) and schizophrenia (like hallucinations and delusions).

The major part of the illness with clear mood swings.

Mood problems are there most of the time, along with schizophrenia symptoms.

Usually in late teens to early adulthood, mood issues often start first.
Less common than schizophrenia; its prevalence is about 0.3% of the population.
Mood symptoms are present for the majority of the total duration of the illness.
Can be mood-congruent (e.g., grandiose or depressive) or mood-incongruent.
Typically appears in late adolescence or early adulthood.

Schizophrenia

A mental illness with symptoms like seeing things that aren’t there and having strange beliefs.
Symptoms like hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that aren’t there), delusions (believing things that aren’t true), and disorganized thinking.
Mood problems may happen, but they are not the main issue.

Mood problems, if they happen, are usually short and not a big part of the illness.

Usually starts in late teens to early adulthood, with psychotic symptoms beginning gradually.

More common; prevalence is about 1% of the population worldwide.

Symptoms must persist for at least 6 months, including at least 1 month of active-phase symptoms.

Often bizarre or persecutory, less likely to be mood-congruent.

Usually begins in late adolescence to early adulthood.

Our Treatment Method

If people you know have symptoms of schizophrenia, explain to them how harmful it could be when left untreated. While you can’t force them to seek help, you can offer encouragement and support. During Schizophrenia treatment, individuals frequently are unaware that they have a mental illness that requires medical attention.

At MAVA Behavioral Health, our certified and expert mental health professionals are dedicated to helping individuals manage and find ways to deal with schizophrenia. Based on a thorough evaluation, they will develop a schizophrenia treatment plan tailored to your specific needs. If medication is required, our licensed healthcare providers will prescribe and monitor it to ensure its effectiveness and make adjustments as necessary. Always try to choose the best medication for schizophrenia to manage it promptly.

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Medication Management

The main approach to treating schizophrenia is through the best medication for schizophrenia. Antipsychotics are the most commonly prescribed medicines. They are thought to primarily control symptoms by influencing the brain neurotransmitter dopamine. Antipsychotic medication treatment aims to manage symptoms at the lowest possible dose.

To achieve the desired outcome, a healthcare professional or mental health professional may experiment with various drugs, drug combinations, and doses over time. Hence, our healthcare professionals evaluate your mental health condition and after that recommend the medication if necessary as a part of the schizophrenia treatment process.

Our Schizophrenia Specialists

People who have schizophrenia may be unwilling to take medications because they can cause side effects. A psychiatrist monitors for side effects and, in some cases, asks for further assistance. Medication selection can be guided to avoid certain undesirable side effects.

Our healthcare professional will guide you about the benefits and side effects of any medication prescribed. Antipsychotic medications are classified as either first- or second-generation.

Second-generation antipsychotic medications may have fewer side effects associated with muscle movement. It includes tardive dyskinesia, a condition characterized by repetitive and involuntary movements such as grimacing, blinking, and others.

Seek Expert Guidance

Schizophrenia is a severe and chronic mental illness. While no specific cause is known, researchers believe that a combination of genetic susceptibility, triggering incidents, and environmental factors all contribute to the disease’s onset. Men and women are equally affected, with most of the symptoms appearing in adolescence and young adulthood.

Following a diagnosis, several treatments are available, and new treatments are on the way. Early identification and treatment are critical to helping those suffering from the condition. At MAVA Behavioral Health, you may get assistance from our certified healthcare professionals and learn the ways how to deal with and manage it properly.