Paranoid Schizophrenia

Paranoid schizophrenia is characterized by presence of delusions, hallucinations and other thought disturbances like thought withdrawal, thought broadcasting etc.

Hallucinations- patients report hearing voices, someone talking to them,  commonly  they say that voices speak bad about me, or I hear people talking, planning about me etc

Delusions- patients report that everyone is looking at me or, someone is looking at me in a particular manner etc, these are called as delusions of reference, the other delusion is delusion of persecution- someone is going to harm me, someone is going to kill me etc.

Thought Disturbances- patients report that everyone can know my thought as if they are broadcasted. They can also report insertion or withdrawal of thoughts, eg.  These thoughts are not mine someone is putting them in my head, or someone is taking away my thoughts.

There can be some bizarre ideation like: transmitters are fitted in the room, my thoughts are being said on the TV etc. They are all part of the symptomatic process.

They  usual  presentation of a patient is they the  patients is withdrawn from the society , stays in the house is fearful, suspicious ,  and  is unwilling to come out or work etc, they also don’t take  care  of themselves- not taking bath , not changing clothes etc. there can also  be increased use of nicotine-smoking,  tobacco etc.

Management- patients should be taken to the doctor acute management can involve: use of anti psychotics, electroconvulsive therapy and admission. Details of treatment of schizophrenia will be posted after all types.

Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is disease which has quizzed and puzzled people for years. It is one of the major mental illnesses and has been seen in varied forms, from calling it split personality to going and calling someone mad (wandering mentally ill).

You must have seen characters suffering from schizophrenia, in movies like –

English: The Beautiful Mind, Through a Glass Darkly..

Hindi: Sangharsh, Kartik Calling Kartik, 15 Park Avenue, Who Lamhe

and marathi movies like: Devrai, Ratra Aarambh, ek cup chya..

Let’s try and understand Schizophrenia.

 

Schizophrenia is a term coined by Paul Eugen Bleuler (April 30, 1857 – July 15, 1939).

It was derived from the word schisms (meaning) he gave four major symptoms of schizophrenia:-

ambivalence- inability to decide  to  or fro,

autism- regression of though process,

association- abnormal thoughts, and

affect- restricted  emotional response

What’s causes schizophrenia is still unknown but we know that there is dopamine imbalance in the brain. There is also strong evidence to suggest that family history increases the chances of schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is characteristsed by Delusions, Halluctions and thought disturbances. Lets understand what are these.. The person suffering can present with any or all of the following-

Delusions are false unshakeable beliefs, eg. people are planning to kill me.

There are various types of delusions like:-

Persecutory- people try to kill me,

Grandiose- I am prime minister of India,

Infidelity- my partner is having an affair,

Hallucinations- perception without sensory

Stimulus- hearing voices, seeing things

Thought disturbances- someone is taking away my thoughts, everybody can  know my thoughts, thoughts being broadcasted, someone is commanding /controlling me.

There are many types and presentations of schizophrenia will be belonging about each every day.

- Dr. Rohan Jahagirdar

MD (Psychiatry)

Pune.

Mobile: 93 724 16 491

Clinic: 020 - 3240 5770