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What Lies Beneath

Paranoid schizophrenia is one of the several types of

schizophrenia. It is a mental illness that effects the person’s ability to distinguish between reality and their imagination

(psychosis). Some of the main side effects of paranoid

schizophrenia are; delusions and hearing things that are not

real.

With paranoid schizophrenia, the ability to think and

function in daily life may be better than other types of

schizophrenia. People with paranoid schizophrenia tend to

have problems with memory, concentration, or dulled

emotions. Paranoid schizophrenia is a serious

illness, that can lead to lifelong complications, including suicidal behavior. With

treatment, most can manage their symptoms and work

towards a happy and healthy lifestyle.

Paranoid schizophrenia is the

most common form of schizophrenia in the world. In the clinical world, paranoid

schizophrenia is characterized by relatively stable, often

paranoid, delusions. These are

usually accompanied by hallucinations, mainly problems with auditory functions and perceptual

disturbances. These disturbances can affect speech and cause catatonic symptoms.

For more information turn to page 2.

BY: ROBERT CARDINAL, JOE STAGG, AND WHITNEY STRAMER

PARANOID SCHIZOPHRENIAD

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Antipsychotics (atypical) are newer antipsychotic medications are effective at managing hallucinations, delusions and other symptoms, such as loss of motivation and lack of emotion. Also some use antidepressants which are helpful if you have symptoms of depression, anti-anxiety medications can be helpful if you have symptoms of anxiety or agitation, and mood-stabilizing medications may help with aggression or hostility.

Although medications are the cornerstone of paranoid schizophrenia treatment, counseling (psychotherapy) also is essential. You can either have individual or family therapy. Psychotherapy with a skilled mental health provider can help you learn ways to cope with the distress and daily life challenges brought on by paranoid schizophrenia. One approach,

called cognitive behavioral therapy, has proven to be especially helpful in the treatment of paranoid schizophrenia. In cognitive behavioral therapy, a mental health provider helps you recognize and change harmful ideas and behaviors. Psychotherapy can help reduce the severity of your symptoms and improve communication skills, relationships, your ability to work and your motivation to stick to your treatment plan. There also is family therapy where both you and your family may benefit from therapy that provides support and education to families. Your symptoms have a better chance of improving if your family members understand your illness.

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continuedWith paranoid schizophrenia

people are affected by mood problems or problems with thinking, concentration and attention. The two key symptoms are delusions and hallucinations, which most people categorize as the same, but they are different. Delusions in paranoid schizophrenia make people feel isolated from the world, and that someone is trying to individually harm them. Examples of this is when people believe that their co-worker is poisoning their food. There are also delusions of grandeur: “the belief that you can fly, or do other super natural actions.” Hallucinations in paranoid schizophrenia usually are auditory. This causing the perception of sounds, usually as voices. The sounds may be a single voice or many. The voices can talk to you or can talk to others. They trigger unpleasant feelings that can result in insanity.

Paranoid schizophrenia does not get better on its own and may worsen without treatment. Most people with paranoid schizophrenia can not recognize their symptoms because they seem real to them. Family or friends are usually the ones to see that they need medical attention. Getting treatment from a mental health provider with experience in schizophrenia can help them learn ways to manage their symptoms so they have the chance of living a happy and productive life.

Treatments and drugsParanoid schizophrenia is a chronic

condition that requires lifelong treatment, even during periods when you feel better

and your symptoms have lifted. You may feel as if you don't need treatment.

Your treatment team can help make sure that you're getting all of the treatment you need and that your care is coordinated among all of your health care providers. But you may have others on your treatment team as well because the condition can affect so many areas of your life. Most of the people that are usually on your Treatment Team are people like your family or primary care doctor, psychiatrist, psychotherapist, pharmacist, family members, case worker, or your psychiatric nurse.

The main treatments for paranoid schizophrenia are medications, psychotherapy, hospitalization, or

electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Medications are a key paranoid schizophrenia treatment. Among the medications most commonly prescribed for paranoid schizophrenia are antipsychotics (typical) and antipsychotics (atypical) also there are some occasional others. Antipsychotics (typical) are thought to control symptoms by affecting brain chemicals called neurotransmitters. They have been proven very effective in managing delusions and hallucinations.

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1Symptoms:

• delusions of: persecution, special mission, bodily change, or jealousy; hallucinatory voices that threaten the patient or give commands, or auditory hallucinations without verbal form, such as whistling, humming, or laughing;

• hallucinations of smell or taste, or of sexual or other bodily sensations; visual hallucinations may occur but are rarely predominant.

• Mood disturbances such as irritability, anxiety,violence, argumentativeness, self-important.

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During crisis periods or times of severe symptoms, hospitalization may be necessary. This can help ensure your own safety and that of others, and make sure that you're getting proper nutrition, sleep and hygiene. Partial hospitalization and residential care also may be options.

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a procedure in which electric currents are passed through your brain to trigger a brief seizure. This seems to cause changes in brain chemistry that can reduce symptoms of certain mental illnesses such as paranoid schizophrenia.

Dopamine- involved in movement and thoughts. People with high levels of Dopamine may experience psychotic symptoms or paranoid thinking. In 1952 the use of a drug called clorpromazine was used to treat schizophrenia patients. It worked by blocking dopamine receptors in the brain from receiving the dopamine and was successful in decreasing symptoms. It was through this observation that scientists began studying the role neurotransmitters played in the symptoms. Another observation was made on the side effects of amphetamines which include paranoia and hallucinations. Amphetamines make the brain think there is too much dopamine, which supports the theory that dopamine is linked to paranoid schizophrenia. A third observation was made in Parkinson’s patients who were treated with a drug that increased the amount of dopamine in the brain. The side effects of the drug looked much like symptoms experienced by schizophrenia patients such as psychotic experiences. Based on these observations scientists have concluded that dopamine plays an important role in schizophrenia. The question that is less clear is whether these symptoms are caused by an excess in dopamine, oversensitive dopamine receptors, or a perception by the brain of an excess of dopamine levels even when there is none.

Glutamate- is important in forming and encoding memory. Hallucinogenic drugs are known to block glutamate receptors in the brain, and lead to the conclusion that the lack of glutamate causes paranoia and hallucinations. Autopsies of schizophrenia patients have shown that these patients have low levels of glutamate which scientists believe contribute to their symptoms. Dopamine has also been known to block glutamate receptors, and with an excess of dopamine in the brain, patients with already low levels of glutamate will have even less that is effective. Neurotransmitters are extremely complex and difficult to study, but the

more scientists understand the more the information can be converted into helpful treatments and solutions.