Hello Doctor. My friend has been diagnosed with schizophrenia. What are the symptoms? is it hereditary? what treatment options are available? can a schizophrenic get married? how can conjugal relations be affected if one partner is schizophrenic?
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Hello, thanks for the query as it is very important to dispel myths about mental illness & I congratulate you for asking specific, pertinent questions! I shall answer your queries point by point 1. Symptoms of schizophrenia: feeling or experiencing unreal things/voices like people are talking about me, conspiring against me, plotting against me etc. Feeling of body/part of body under someone else's control, loss of interest/motivation/drive in self care, work, family life etc. Smiling, laughing, muttering to self. These are the common symptoms but there are a lot more 2. Yes schizophrenia is hereditary & chances of sibling or offspring of your friend developing schizophrenia at some point of their lives increases to as high as 10% now 3. Treatment options for schizophrenia are primarily medicines (also known as antipsychotics) & various lifestyle modification techniques like counselling, cognitive retraining, guided employment supervision, supportive psychotherapy, cognitive behavior therapy etc. (which varies on case by case basis). The good news is, with proper course of medicines, a schizophrenia patient remains completely normal & can lead a meaningful life full of joy, proper employment, fruitful relations including marriage & also parenting children! but for these to happen, patient must take medicines as advised by psychiatrist & stay in regular contact with doctor. For any further queries, you can revert back. Good luck!
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Hello, welcome to lybrate schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterised by paranoia, delusional thinking, hallucinations, disorganised behaviours, conceptual disorganisation, increased aggression, lack of insight, poor judgement, speech disturbances, cognitive impairment, altered sleep-wake cycle and socio-occupational dysfunction. Besides this there are many other symptoms which can be there in patients with schizophrenia. Yes it is hereditary condition, can be transmitted from one generation to other. Schizophrenia is treatable like any other mental illness. Treatment involves pharmacological measures - antipsychotics such as haloperidol, risperidone, olanzapine etc; & psychological interventions such as insight oriented psychotherapy, cbt etc. A comprehensive approach is adopted for its treatment, personalised for the patient only, which would help in complete recovery. Yes a person with schizophrenia can be married. Conjugal relations between patient & partner would depend on the symptomatology of the patient; for example if patient have active paranoia against partner than this would result in increased violence & reduced sexual preferences. If you want to know more about schizophrenia, details about symptoms, management options; you can consult me in private.
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