Treat schizophrenia with differents antipsycotic

Schizophrenia and the drugs available to treat it

Introduction

This essay will consider schizophrenia and the various pharmaceutical treatments available , in particular the newer antipsychotic drugs and how , on occasion , these can be used in combination and why this is necessary

What is schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a complex subject , not one condition , but a useful umbrella term for a number of psychotic conditions . It usually , though by no always , manifests itself in the third decade of life as it can occur in quite young people too or be late in

onset . Acute episodes can last as long as 6 months and so it can be seen that it has a huge negative effect on the life of those concerned , as well as on society in general when one takes into consideration loss of work hours , effects on family life , the cost of treatment etc . Drew Western in `Psychology Mind , Brain and Culture ' defines it is his glossary as :-

Psychotic diss characterized by disturbances in thought perception , behaviour , language , communication and emotion

Because sufferer 's have a different perception of the world to that of the majority population they tend to respond in what is perceived as an unusual way of behaving

Those with this dis may develop apathy , a significant loss of interest or pleasure in life . This affects such things as their appetite and general interest in food . In some there are mood abnormalities such as inappropriate smiling , face pulling or laughing , or , at the other extreme , depression , anxiety or unreasonable anger may predominate Often normal day and night activities will be reversed i .e . the person stays up very late at night and then counteracts this by sleeping late in the morning . Often abnormal movements such as constant pacing rocking , or long periods of immobility will occur . There may be are noticeable cognitive impairments such as poor concentration , memory problems and an impaired ability to solve even simple problems . Although there are many theories regarding the possible causes including stress factors , the fact that there is no one known causative agent has made it difficult to arrive at one particular treatment . Genetics are considered to play a large part , and it is certain that it runs in families . The immediate biological relatives of those with schizophrenia are 10 times more likely to develop symptoms than the population in general , with some patients developing the disease , whatever their environment and life situation , while a second group will only become psychotic under certain moderate changes to their circumstances , and yet others require substantial impetus before symptoms develop according to D .C . Fowles `Schizophrenia : Diathesis -stress revisited ' in 1992 . Drew Weston in `Psychology , Mind , Brain and Culture cites ( page 595 ) a number of researchers who consider genetics to be the root cause , but whether one gene or several are involved remains uncertain . The fact that the condition can be aided by the use of chemical agents gives credence to the other main idea , that it is caused by an imbalance...