Is There A Cure For Schizophrenia?

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Is There A Cure For Schizophrenia?

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Answer 1

There is no absolute cure for schizophrenia, although the illness can be managed and the symptoms reduced, to a certain extent.

Schizophrenia is seen as a disorder of the brain, rather than a psychological disorder as such. Although therapy can go some way to helping treatment, medication is the main focus for counteracting the effects of schizophrenia.

Curing and treating schizophrenia

Although there is no known cure, the illness seems to be best managed by the two-pronged approach of medication in combination with some form of therapy.

The illness is most commonly managed by means of a cocktail of anti-psychotic drugs.

Until recently, traditional anti-psychotic medication was seen as the best treatment. This included drugs like:

chlorpromazine (Thorazine)
fluphenazine (Prolixin)
thioridazine (Mellaril)
perphenazine (Trilafon)
mesoridazine (Serentil)
trifluoperazine (Stelazine)
haloperidol (Haldol)

In recent years however, a new breed of 'atypical' anti-psychotic drugs have been developed. These are seen as marginally more effective by most doctors, although they are also considerably more expensive.
Newer atypical anti-viral medications include the following:

clozapine (Clozaril)
palperidone (Invega)
risperidone (Risperdal)
olanzapine (Zyprexa)
ziprasidone (Geodon)
aripiprazole (Abilify)

Therapy treatment for schizophrenia As well as medication, some form of psychotherapy is also recommended for people suffering from schizophrenia. The types of psychotherapy which are effective in helping to treat the condition are:

cognitive therapy
psychoeducation
social skills training
family therapy

Such therapies help schizophrenics to manage their symptoms and to function in society.

Some recent research suggests that diet can be a significant factor in controlling the symptoms of schizophrenia, although more research is still needed in this area.

Answer 2

I have active schizophrenia, but am managing to live with it without overuse of medications.

I have had schizophrenia for 19 years. I was hospitalized (briefly) for it three times in that period. I hear voices constantly. I have learned to control it somewhat.

The voices are like spoiled children, the more you give in to them, the more they want your attention and become increasingly demanding. The best thing is to ignore them.

If you are convinced that what they are telling you is the truth, write it all down. Then refer back to your notes about what they said and record how often any of it came true.

I find they are accurate only a small percentage of the time, the rest of the time it is just rubbish. This will help you learn to disregard their admonishments.

Sometimes they are accurate, this creates a desire to listen to them more, which can lead to an episode requiring hospitalization.

If I feel an episode is imminent, I take prescription medications until I feel stable again. This happens maybe once every two to three years now.

Learning to recognize the onset of an episode is important for managing the condition yourself.