Get treatment for schizophrenia at Serene Behavioral Health.
What is Schizophrenia?
Schizophrenia is a very serious mental health condition that causes people to misinterpret reality. It is associated with hallucinations, delusions, and disordered behaviors that severely impact a person’s day-to-day well-being. People diagnosed with a schizoaffective disorder require lifelong care.
Schizophrenia Types
Previously, psychologists categorized schizophrenia into five subtypes: paranoid, disorganized, catatonic, undifferentiated, and residual. In 2013, when the DSM-5 was released, clinicians began referring to the diagnosis as “schizophrenia spectrum disorder.” This revision allows healthcare providers to assess those with schizophrenia along a continuum of severity.
Schizophrenia Symptoms
The five key symptoms of schizophrenia are delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, disorganized/catatonic behavior, and negative symptoms (lack of emotions or emotional expression). For a person to be diagnosed with schizophrenia spectrum disorder, someone must be experiencing at least two symptoms, and at least one of them must be delusions, hallucinations, or disorganized speech.
Signs of schizophrenia are assessed for severity. Psychologists look at each person’s experience and rate the seriousness of the following symptoms:
- Disorganization
- Reality distortion/psychosis (hallucinations or delusions)
- Negative symptoms
- Cognitive impairment (difficulty remembering, learning, or concentrating)
- Mood issues (episodes of mania or depression)
- Motor symptoms (unusual movements)
Get help for schizophrenia.
Schizophrenia Treatment
To successfully treat schizophrenia, a balanced approach of medication and intensive psychotherapy is required. Antipsychotics are prescribed for those experiencing hallucinations and delusions. Consistent adherence to a medication regimen can provide lasting relief from breakthrough psychotic episodes.
Once the client achieves stability, therapy can begin. Modalities like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) are especially helpful for changing problematic patterns of thinking and behavior. Ongoing CBT helps clients identify and overcome triggers for psychotic episodes. Our clinicians also recommend participation in group programming to gain crucial communication skills.
Finally, for someone with schizophrenia, strong social support is paramount. Serene Behavioral Health works with families to determine whether housing, caregivers, and family members are available to provide assistance after primary treatment has concluded.
Find Healing at Serene Behavioral Health
Serene Behavioral Health is a treatment center dedicated to the safe, effective resolution of life-altering schizoaffective symptoms. This rare diagnosis affects only 0.32% of the global population, and specialty treatment is required. If you suspect that you have schizophrenia, or if you have a loved one who requires inpatient care, we invite you to contact our admissions team today.
