What therapy is best for schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that affects how people interpret reality. Hallucinations, delusions, and disordered thinking impact behavior and impair functionality. Schizophrenia requires lifelong treatment, and although it can be serious and disabling, for many people early diagnosis and adequate treatment are keys to improving quality of life.

Symptoms of schizophrenia include:

• Delusions, which are beliefs that aren’t rooted in reality. This may be a belief that others are harassing you, that you are famous, that someone is in love with you, or that you have psychic ability.
• Disorganized thinking and speech, which is when speech may not make sense. Words may sound similar or have no relationship whatsoever and be linked and used.
• Hallucinations occur when someone sees or hears things that aren’t really there and may actually happen with any of the five senses. The person with schizophrenia may react to the hallucinations as though they are real.
• Abnormal motor behavior may include strange posture, lack of response to the instruction, inappropriate movement, or seemingly nonsensical movements and agitation.
• Negative symptoms, which is a term that describes the lack of ability to function. Lack of hygiene, flat affect or lack of emotion, lack of facial expression, and loss of interest in social and other activities.

Diagnosis involves a physical examination and the use of tests and screenings to rule out underlying medical conditions that may result in similar symptoms or the use of substances that may result in similar symptoms. A psychiatric evaluation will be completed. The criteria of schizophrenia will be cross-checked with presenting symptoms.

Schizophrenia is typically treated with medication used to control symptoms and with therapy. Antidepressants, antipsychotics, and antianxiety medication are often used in combinations, specific to each person and their unique presentation of symptoms.

Therapy used typically includes family therapy that provides education and support to the family of the patient and works to help improve family dynamics to support the health of the person. Social skills training is a form of therapy that aims to help support social interactions and improve communication. Individual therapy is used to help the person with schizophrenia recognize and challenge abnormal thought patterns, cope with stress, and learn early signs of potential problems to support the management of the illness. Cognitive behavior therapy or CBT is frequently used as a framework in individual therapy.

If you are experiencing symptoms of schizophrenia or have a loved one experiencing symptoms, reach out to your medical doctor, psychiatrist, or licensed mental health professional.