Top Health Tips on Living with Schizophrenia

Dependent personality disorder (DPD) is a frequently diagnosed personality disorder that is characterised by a strong need to be taken care of and a fear of being abandoned by important people in the patient s life.
Symptoms include long-term dependent and submissive behaviours to elicit caregiving in others. The disorder is found equally in men and women.

Common signs

Emotional dependence is one of the most common signs of DPD. Other signs are-
Needy, passive, and clinging behaviour, and an intense fear of separation
Inability to make everyday decisions without other s advice and reassurance
Avoidance of adult responsibilities
Acting passive and helpless all the time
Oversensitivity to criticism
Lack of self-confidence
Difficulty being alone
Willingness to tolerate abuse from others

Causes of Dependent Personality Disorder (DPD)
Chronic physical illness or other psychological disorders like separation anxiety disorder in childhood can predispose a person to the development of dependent personality disorder. The exact cause of DPD is not known but several factors are involved like genetic, behavioural, psychological and temperamental.

Impaired parenting styles may also be to blame.
However, research suggests that no single factor is solely responsible rather, it is the complex and likely intertwined nature of all three factors that are important.

Treatment
Many people with a dependent personality disorder don t seek treatment till it starts to significantly interfere or impact their lives. This usually happens when a person can t cope with stress due to life events.
People with DPD are more prone to develop depression or anxiety symptoms.

Treatments for DPD are focused around psychotherapy, a type of counselling. Its goal is to help a person become more active and independent and to learn to form healthy relationships. The psychologist prefers short term therapy with specific goals when the focus is on managing behaviours that interfere with day-to-day functioning.

Assertiveness training helps the person with DPD develop self-confidence and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) helps him or her develop new attitudes and perspectives about themselves that are positive. However, change in someone's personality structure usually requires long-term psychoanalytic therapy. In this type of therapy, childhood experiences are examined for formation of defence mechanisms, coping styles, and patterns of attachment in relationships.

DPD is the most difficult personality disorder to treat because of the patient s strong need for constant reassurance and support. It is also very important for the doctor to monitor patient dependency.
Group therapy can also be helpful, although care needs to be taken so that the patient doesn t use groups to reinforce dependent relationships in his life. Medication is also used though it s not very effective. Medicines usually help DPD patients manage their depression or anxiety but not DPD per se.

Schizophrenia is a neurological disorder that affects an individual s ability to feel, think, or behave properly. Schizophrenia makes it hard for a person to tell reality from fantasy.

The symptoms of schizophrenia are:

Hearing voices in the head
Hallucinations
Fearfulness
The urge to withdraw from society and social activities
Difficulty concentrating

Although one can control the symptoms of schizophrenia with antipsychotic drugs, therapy can drastically improve their quality of life. The therapy combines both counselling and medication. Several types of therapy can help a schizophrenic. The most commonly practised are:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

This is a kind of interactive therapy session, which works only if a collective relation between the therapist and the individual suffering from schizophrenia is established. It is about analyzing the problem and setting goals to overcome it.

The therapist focuses on the psychotic elements of schizophrenia (illusions and hallucinations) and helps the schizophrenic separate delusions and reality. It starts simply with learning to de-stress. CBT includes behavioural experiments, reality tests, cognitive restructuring.

The schizophrenic is taught to avoid being confrontational and not to fear the psychotic experiences. Therapy helps strike a balance between the two extremes of psychotic and non-psychotic experiences.



Art Therapy

Art Therapy acts as a unique medium of expression for a schizophrenic.

A person suffering from schizophrenia often finds it difficult to express himself/herself. With the patient guidance of a therapist, the individual uses paint, clay or other materials to voice their thoughts, feelings and fears.

Art therapy also incorporates music, poetry, drama (any art form that the schizophrenic is comfortable with). Art Therapy works in groups as well. Interacting in a group teaches social skills. Communicating with people suffering from similar problems helps them get a better perspective and reduces the symptoms associated with the condition.

Family Therapy

Families are often confused about how to deal with the symptoms of schizophrenia. Family therapy is about establishing a bond between the schizophrenic and his/her family.

Most importantly, bonding with the family helps gives an emotional boost to the individual. Knowing that she/he has the family s love and support brings down hallucinatory episodes. Surveys suggest that family therapy helps improve the quality of life for a schizophrenic.

Therapy can help suppress the terrifying hallucinations and illusions and help a schizophrenic cope with his/her condition. However, at the end of the day, what a schizophrenic needs more than therapy and anti-psychotic drugs are your understanding and support.

Previously known as multiple personality disorder or simply, split personality disorder, dissociative identity disorder is a very serious and unpleasant form of dissociation. It is based on a lack of connection, or rather a discontinuity in thought, action, feeling, memory or even a misplaced sense of identity. It is usually considered to be a result of severe traumatic experiences in early childhood, varying from extremely physical to repeated emotional or sexual abuse. It is thought to be a self-defence mechanism where the person dissociates himself from any such experience or situation that would deem to be harmful to his or her conscious self. It is, however, not to be confused with schizophrenia

Symptoms

There are innumerable indicators that point towards dissociative identity disorder. Some of them include:

- Severe depression
- Sleeping problems such as insomnia or sleep apnea
- Alcohol or drug abuse
- Anxiety attacks and phobias
- Suicidal tendencies
- Abnormal rituals and compulsions
- Visual or auditory hallucinations
- Self-persecution and self-sabotage tendencies
- Time-loss and amnesia
- Mood swings
- Headaches and migraines
- Inability to remember important personal information
- 'Switching' of identities

Causes

The main causes of split personality disorder are unfortunately still unclear and vague although 99% of persons who suffer from this disorder have a severe traumatic history or background. The causes need not necessarily be physical or sexual abuse. It could also stem from emotional abuse like insistent neglect. Studies have also shown that children may become dissociative if their parents are either too strict or unpredictable.

For a fully functional and productive life, a person requires a healthy body and a healthy mind. Mental health issues could range from depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, dementia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, autism and other causes. Hence, it is important that a person pays attention to these mental health disorders to avoid further problems in their lives, as well as the lives of the people around them.

Here are a few reasons as to why a person should not avoid or ignore their mental health problems:

Better Physical Health: There is a solid association between the brain and the body. In case you are in physical pain, your work and family life might be influenced or you will be unable to do the activities you might like. This can prompt anxiety, nervousness and depression. People with physical health issues are three times more prone to look for mental health care than those without physical conditions as physical health problems can prompt mental distress and mental health issues can impair your physical health.
Enhanced Productivity and Financial Stability: Stressful situations may trigger reactions that can make a person unproductive and lead to financial problems as well. Some people end up abandoning their homes, going bankrupt or homeless after trying to manage some sort of mental illness.
Less Strain on the Family: Mental sickness or disorders influence families as well. The children of individuals with mental health issues are at more serious danger for misuse, disregard and an extensive variety of emotional and behavioural issues. Since they cannot look up to their parents for help and they frequently isolate themselves from their friends and most of them do not get the required social backing. Much of the time, the impact extends into adulthood, driving children to look for psychological or mental treatment of their own.
Evasion of Crime and Victimization: A few studies recommend that individuals with untreated mental health, particularly in combination with other risk factors, might be at risk of carrying out criminal activities, violence or most probably becoming victims themselves. The danger increases gradually when the individual uses medications or alcohol or has acute symptoms. It could also happen if they are not aware of their mental state or have poor adherence to medication. Usually, acts of violence happen against relatives or somebody in the individual's nearby group of friends or in close proximity to them.
A Longer, Happier Life: Individuals with even a mild mental health issue may have a lower life expectancy and a short life span. Those with the largest amounts of depression or nervousness had the danger of death that increased an incredible ninety-four percent, mostly identified with heart diseases.

Previously known as multiple personality disorder or simply split personality disorder, dissociative identity disorder is a very serious and unpleasant form of dissociation. It is based on the lack of connection, or rather a discontinuity in thought, action, feeling, memory or even a misplaced sense of identity. It is usually considered to be a result of severe traumatic experiences in early childhood, varying from extremely physical to repeated emotional or sexual abuse. It is thought to be a self-defense mechanism where the person dissociates himself from any such experience or situation that would deem to be harmful to his or her conscious self. It is, however, not to be confused with schizophrenia.

Symptoms

There are innumerable indicators that point towards dissociative identity disorder. Some of them include:

Severe depression
Sleeping problems such as insomnia or sleep apnea
Alcohol or drug abuse
Anxiety attacks and phobias
Suicidal tendencies
Abnormal rituals and compulsions
Visual or auditory hallucinations
Self-persecution and self-sabotage tendencies
Time-loss and amnesia
Mood swings
Headaches and migraines
Inability to remember important personal information
'Switching' of identities
Causes

The main causes of split personality disorder are unfortunately still unclear and vague, although 99% of persons who suffer from this disorder have a severe traumatic history or background. The causes need not be physical or sexual abuse. It could also stem from emotional abuse like insistent neglect. Studies have also showed that children may become dissociative, if their parents are either too strict or unpredictable.

The risk of a mental illness increases, if one or more of your family members have a mental disorder, but this increased risk doesn't guarantee that you will develop a mental illness. Not only have some mental illnesses been found to be hereditary in nature, but certain studies have found that some major mental illnesses can be traced to the same genetic variations.

Some hereditary psychiatric disorders are:

Obsessive compulsive disorder: Obsessive-compulsive disorder or OCD is a disorder of the brain and behavior. A person suffering from OCD has uncontrollable, recurring thoughts and behaviors they cannot stop repeating. Ocd also causes severe anxiety in such people. In 2000, a study conducted by researchers in Washington d. C. And Baltimore concluded that having one or more ocd family member (s) may increase the chances of you developing it too. In 2010, a study tracked down possible chromosomes that may be responsible for OCD.
Schizophrenia: Schizophrenia is a chronic mental illness that affects and dictates how a person feels, thinks and behaves. Those suffering from schizophrenia may lose touch with reality and experience delusions, hallucinations, thought disorders and movement disorders. It has been seen that people who have an identical twin with schizophrenia are 50% more likely to develop the disorder and those who have one parent suffering from schizophrenia are 18% more likely to inherit the illness.
Depression: Major depression or clinical depression is a common though severe mood disorder. It is characterized by an episode of sadness or apathy along with other symptoms that last at least for two consecutive weeks. Those suffering from depression may feel helpless and worthless, lose all interest in daily activities or activities they used to enjoy and feel unable to take part in normal day-to-day activities. Other symptoms of depression also include sleep pattern and appetite changes, chronic fatigue, concentration or focus problems and physical discomfort. Some patients with depression may become suicidal.
In 2011, a study pinned down a specific chromosome that may trigger depression development. Research on the hereditary properties of depression within families shows that some people are more prone to develop the disorder than others. If you have a parent or sibling that suffers from depression, you might be 1.5 to 3 times more likely to develop depression than those who do not have a close family member suffering from this condition. You are also more prone to developing bipolar disorder in such a scenario.

A vitamin is an organic compound, which is required by the human body in appropriate amounts to ensure the proper and healthy functioning of the various body parts. These vitamins help you in being healthy and maintaining an optimum level of brain activity. The deficiency of the same can cause you to have various health issues and illnesses.

B Vitamins are of various subtypes, and they are collectively known as B-Complex Vitamins. These vitamins are medically proven to relieve stress and boost up your energy levels. They also fight depression, restrict brain ageing and help you to live a longer life. Here's how B vitamins help in keeping your brain healthy.

Prevent mental decline: The three vitamin B types that help to avoid a mental decline are: B6, B12, and B9 (Folic Acid). Additionally, these 3 vitamins also prevent dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
Act as dopamine boosters: Dopamine is a neurotransmitter inside the brain that that boosts productivity, motivation and focus among human beings. This helps to ensure your mental well-being keep you mentally happy. B vitamins enhance your brain health by facilitating an increase in dopamine levels.
Lets you avoid mental disorders: The lack of Vitamin B12 leads to certain mental disorders like- dementia, brain atrophy, brain shrinkage, depression, and schizophrenia. You can avoid this condition by taking Vitamin B12 supplements.
Sharpen memory: In case you have a short term memory or face other memory problems, various forms of B vitamins supplements will help you to regain the optimal state of mind.
Benefits of Vitamin B Subtypes-

Vitamin B1: Vitamin B1 strengthens the immune system and improves the body's ability to withstand stressful conditions. Very good sources of vitamin B1 include asparagus, mushrooms, romaine lettuce, spinach, tuna, sunflower seeds, green peas, tomatoes, sprouts and eggplant.
Vitamin B2: Vitamin B2 is required to protect cells from oxygen damage. It plays a key role in energy metabolism, and for the metabolism of fats, ketone bodies, carbohydrates, and proteins. Common food sources of vitamin B2 are milk, cheese, leafy green vegetables especially spinach, liver, kidneys, tomatoes, yeast, legumes, almonds and mushrooms.
Vitamin B3: Vitamin B3 is important in energy production. It is essential for conversion of the body's proteins, fats, and carbohydrates into usable energy. Foods rich in Vitamin B3, such as dairy products, can compensate for not consuming enough niacin in the diet because the body can convert tryptophan to niacin. Good sources of Vitamin B3 are avocados, tomatoes, dates, leaf vegetables, carrots, broccoli, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, chicken, beef, fish: salmon, tuna, milk and eggs.
Vitamin B5: Vitamin B5 is needed to release energy from sugars, starches, and fats. It helps to support the adrenal glands. Small quantities of Vitamin B5 are found in nearly every food, with high amounts in whole-grain cereals, eggs, legumes and meat.
Vitamin B6: Vitamin B6 is essential for the metabolism of carbohydrates, amino acids, and fats, as well as for normal nerve function and for the formation of red blood cells. Foods rich in vitamin B6 are turnip greens, spinach, garlic, tuna, bell peppers, cauliflower, banana, mustard greens, cabbage, asparagus, celery, broccoli, collard greens, kale and sprouts.
Vitamin B7: Biotin is necessary for cell growth, the production of fatty acids, and the metabolism of fats and amino acids. It is also helpful in keeping blood sugar at normal level. Biotin is often recommended for strengthening hair and nails. Foods with a relatively high biotin content include liver, egg yolk and some vegetables.
Vitamin B12: Vitamin B12 with folic acid is necessary for the formation and maturation of red blood cells and the synthesis of DNA. Vitamin B12 is also necessary for normal nerve function. Vitamin B12 occurs in foods that come from animals. Plants are poor sources of vitamin B12. Thus in vegetarians, supplementation may be required.

Chronic health disorders like schizophrenia affect not only the patient, but also the life of their care givers. Though schizophrenia can be treated to improve the patient's quality of life, it cannot be cured. Hence, it falls on the care giver's shoulders to watch out for symptoms of this disease and manage the person and their disorder. What should one do in such a case?

1. Educate yourself: the first step towards looking after a person with schizophrenia is to know the symptoms of the disease. With treatment, these may become better or worse so if you notice any change in the symptoms, bring it to your doctors notice at once.

2. Reduce stress: your goal as a schizophrenic person's caregiver should be to give them a calm environment and boost their confidence. Stress has a negative effect on all people and in schizophrenics this effect is much worse. Hence reduce stress and create an effective support system and structured environment for your loved one.

3. Do not ask the patient to change'his reality: when a person is suffering from schizophrenia, you should not force them to change their behaviour and reality, in order to adjust in the society at large. You should rather support the patient to accept his reality, to be at peace, since there is a very strong genetic component involved in its aetiology. Also, it is important that, both the patient and the family in particular should opt for regular counselling sessions.

4. Regular exercise: schizophrenics need not be cooped up in the house all day. Encourage the patient to go outside and exercise regularly. Exercise reduces stress and produces endorphins that make a person feel energized and happy. This should be complemented by a healthy diet. Minimize the amount of carbs and sugar intake and increase the amounts of omega 3 fatty acids in the patient's diet.

5. Join a support group: joining a support group is a very good idea for both the patient and the caregiver. For the patient, this provides a form of social interaction and for the caregiver is a platform to meet people with similar first hand experiences

6. Encourage treatment: convincing a schizophrenic person to seek treatment can be quite challenging. Suggest treating symptoms of the disorder such as insomnia and lack of energy rather than the disease itself to make the patient feel more comfortable. Give the patient options to choose from to make them feel more in control of the situation.

7. Monitor medication: once the treatment has started, ensure that the patient sticks to the prescription. Maintain a regular schedule by using weekly pill boxes and alarms. Also keep an eye on the possible side effects of these medicines. Ensure that your doctor has a complete list of medicines that the patient takes so that there is no chance of medicines interacting negatively with each other.

8. Prepare for crisis situations: it is always a good idea to have an emergency plan in place. Keep emergency contact details of all the doctors and therapists at hand along with the address and phone number of the closest hospital. Share your situation with friends and family so that in case of an emergency, they can be relied upon to take care of your children and other dependants.

Schizophrenia is a debilitating mental and emotional condition that is characterised by a heavily distorted thought process as well as hallucinations and even extreme fear that borders on paranoia. Let us find out more about this debilitating disease:

Causes:
1. Genetics: genetic factors play an important role in the development of schizophrenia.
2. Environment: possible environmental factors include obstetric complications, the mother's exposure to influenza during pregnancy or starvation. It has also been suggested that stress, trauma even migration can lead to the emergence of schizophrenia.
3. Neurodevelopmental factors: schizophrenia appears to be a neurodevelopmental disorder. That is changes that cause the illness have been occurring from the earliest stages of development even in utero, and may continue to influence the development of the brain over the first 25 years of life.

Symptoms:
This disease has a variety of symptoms include cognitive and emotional ones that can vary in the degree and severity. One of the most common symptoms included hallucinations and delusions where the patient may end up imagining things that do not really exist. The patient may also be gripped by sudden and crippling fear like paranoia, which can be debilitating as far as everyday functioning of the person goes. The symptoms can also interfere with the way a person deals with situations and life skills on a cognitive basis. Withdrawal and hopelessness are also a part of this disease.

Treatment:
The earliest signs and symptoms must be referred to a psychiatrist. The treatment involves the management of the case of an individual basis along with psychological rehabilitation programs and inclusion of the patient in self-help groups. Housing and employment programs must also be availed so as to keep the patient busy. Also, behaviour therapy will be required in such cases. The mode of counselling should usually be on a one on one basis, although many doctors also suggest that group therapy can help in showing examples of progress so as to encourage the patient to change and get a new lease of life.

Schizophrenia affects over 1% of the world s population and affects the way a person thinks, feels and behaves. In most cases, it is diagnosed when a person is between the ages of 16 to 25. This condition can be hereditary and is said to affect men more often than women. Schizophrenia is characterized by an inability to distinguish between real and imaginary which can lead to delusions, social withdrawal, hallucinations and other forms of social and occupational dysfunction.

Schizophrenia affects different people in different ways. On the basis of the type of symptoms exhibited, this disease has been categorized into 5 sub types. These are:

Paranoid schizophrenia: This type of schizophrenia is characterized by delusions and hallucinations that may make the person exhibit paranoid behaviour. These people often feel like they are being watched or followed and may have delusions of grandeur. They may also get angry quickly on minor issues and show signs of anxiety and hostility.
Disorganized schizophrenia: In such cases, the person may behave in ways that are difficult to understand or speak in broken sentences and have difficulty structuring a sentence. They may also display inappropriate behaviour and react in ways not suitable to the occasion. People suffering from disorganized schizophrenia may also neglect their personal hygiene.
Catatonic schizophrenia: People suffering from catatonic schizophrenia may swing between immobility and periods of rapid movement. They may stay quiet for hours or talk rapidly repeating everything they hear. These people have a high risk of harming themselves as they are usually unable to look after themselves and complete daily activities.
Undifferentiated schizophrenia: People suffering from this type of schizophrenia exhibit behaviour that fits into more than one type of schizophrenia. From time to time they may have hallucinations, suffer from delusions or display catatonic behaviour and disorganized behaviour or speech.
Residual schizophrenia: Even though a person may not be currently showcasing any signs of schizophrenia, they are said to have residual schizophrenia. Such people need to have had at least one schizophrenic episode. These people may exhibit symptoms later or be in complete remission.
With schizophrenia, an early diagnosis can make treatment easier and hence if you notice anyone exhibiting signs of schizophrenia, you must advise them to seek medical help immediately. Schizophrenia cannot be cured but it can be managed with a combination of typical or atypical medication and cognitive therapy. The latter can be in the form of self-help groups, housing and employment programs, counselling and therapy.