Senile schizophrenia symptoms and signs in women

A diagnosis such as schizophrenia is made by psychiatrists extremely rarely and, moreover, very carefully, because this is a kind of death sentence for the patient. It takes specialists some time to make such a diagnosis.

In addition, every person must understand and know what this disease is - this is necessary to recognize the primary symptoms, causes and, as a result, timely and correct treatment of this pathology. How does schizophrenia manifest in women, what are the causes of its occurrence and what are the consequences of schizophrenia?

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Female schizophrenia

In some cases, the first signs of schizophrenia in women begin to appear in childhood or adolescence, but often the disease makes itself felt at the age of 30 or more.

What is schizophrenia

Signs:

• obsessions;
• psychopathic behavior;
• presence of hallucinations;
• delusional ideas;
• untidiness in clothing and appearance;
• bright, ridiculous makeup or clothing style;
• complete disregard for family responsibilities, unwillingness to see their children and raise them;
• irritability or spontaneous aggression;
• loss of previous interests, indifference to the outside world.

In addition, the first signs of schizophrenia in women can also include autism and thought disorder . Autism is a kind of withdrawal into oneself; a patient in this state seems to retreat into her inner world; scientists have proven that such a symptom often manifests itself as a result of the loss of a loved one.

The disease often manifests itself in a state called ambivalence - the presence of two completely opposite emotions in one person.

That is, a woman in this state can both madly love someone and hate him at the same time.

The disease may be in an advanced stage of progression, as well as sluggish. Symptoms and signs in women vary depending on the specific form.

Symptoms of the advanced stage:

• presence of delusional ideas;
• hallucinations: visual, olfactory or tactile.

During the advanced stage, the patient begins to see the world with a completely different look ; she contemplates, hears and perceives in reality, as it were, other worlds in which she feels good and comfortable. If this type of disease is not diagnosed in a timely manner, it often ends in suicide.

Symptoms of sluggish schizophrenia in patients:

• complete absence of aggression towards the environment;
• isolation;
• lack of irritability;
• coldness.

These and other signs of low-grade schizophrenia in women do not always require isolation in a medical facility. But in this situation, relatives and friends must understand the extent of her illness and treat her with care and concern . To date, complete recovery has not yet been encountered in medical practice, but there have been no complications or transitions to an advanced stage. When diagnosed with low-grade schizophrenia, women often lose interest in their partner and raising children.

Important! The first symptoms may be fears or various kinds of meaningless statements. One of the most pronounced symptoms is a colorful description of your symptoms and the world around you in general to your doctor. Because patients often see the world as completely different, not as it really is.

What is schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a mental disorder with the following symptoms:

Inappropriate actions, emotions, perception of the surrounding world.

Perverted perception of the world.

Suspicious attitude towards all people.

This is a mental illness of a progressive nature. Symptoms range from mild symptoms to disability.

Over the years, experts have been identifying more and more new signs of the disease and, accordingly, identifying additional types of schizophrenia. Each type has its own symptoms, signs and course of the disease. Initially, the prevailing classification of schizophrenia was based on the predominant symptoms. Currently, the modern classification, based on the identification of symptoms, type and degree of development of the disease, is considered more relevant.

People suffering from schizophrenia have serious communication problems in all areas of life: at school, at work, in the family. The person becomes withdrawn and experiences constant fear. The disease affects you for life. Although nowadays, thanks to modern medications, the patient’s experiences can be significantly alleviated.

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When suffering from schizophrenia, a person loses their sense of reality. He plunges into an imaginary world inspired by hallucinations, into which some real pictures break through. As a result, confusion arises in the patient's head. Reality is perceived in the form of noise, sounds, images. All this looks like chaos that is impossible to comprehend.

This perception of the world leads to attacks of inappropriate behavior. This frightens everyone who communicates with a person with schizophrenia.

Schizophrenics experience sudden mood swings: from violence to complete apathy and back, from goodwill to aggression. They are lost in time, do not understand where they are, what is happening to them.

With such attacks, a person can harm both himself and others. You need to call a psychiatrist as soon as possible to provide first aid.

Attacks can be repeated with varying frequency and strength: for some it is extremely rare and sluggish, for others it is frequent and violent. In the interval between exacerbations, the person looks quite healthy. The disease goes through cycles: then calm, then exacerbation.

The first signs of schizophrenia usually appear at a young age, later developing paranoia. From birth, a child may be underweight. Later, problems arise in communicating with peers (manifests itself already in kindergarten), and low learning ability.

Patients communicate little, trying to spend most of their time alone. Schizophrenics have no interest in people of the opposite sex. At older ages, all symptoms worsen.

In the city, cases of schizophrenia are recorded much more often than in the village.

Causes of schizophrenia

Like any disease, mental or not, this has its reasons. How does schizophrenia manifest in women and what causes it? The disease can develop in the weaker sex as a result of a number of certain factors.

Causes of schizophrenia

Experts believe that the main reasons for the development of the disease are:

• Hereditary predisposition to mental disorders and diseases. Moreover, the risk of developing the disease increases several times if both parents have a defective gene. If only one parent had mental health problems, then there is a 15% risk that the child will have mental health problems. If you have two parents, then the probability increases to 45%.
• Stressful situations.
• Use of alcohol or drugs.
• Unfavorable living conditions.
• Stress experienced in early childhood.
• In some cases, psychosis begins to develop in women after childbirth, during postpartum depression. Childbirth itself is not the cause of the disease; it can only trigger an irreversible process ; it is these women who have this defective gene from their parents. During this period of time, the hormonal system in women’s bodies begins to undergo restructuring, which gives impetus to the development of psychosis.

Advice! Even with the most correct and modern treatment, it is impossible to completely recover from schizophrenia, you can only achieve long-term remission.

Causes

The disease can occur under the influence of such factors:

• genome features;
• somatic chronic diseases;
• abuse of psychotropic drugs;
• long-term use of a significant amount of medication;
• vascular dementia;
• Alzheimer's, Parkinson's or Lewy's disease;
• senile sclerosis;
• age-related modifications of brain tissue, neurochemical transformations;
• lack of communication, loneliness;
• polypharmacy;
• cognitive impairment;
• decreased functioning of analyzers and sensory organs.

Stages of schizophrenia in women

Schizophrenia has different stages, so the patient is not always hospitalized.

Stages of schizophrenia in women

Conventionally, psychiatrists identify several main stages of the disease:

1. Initial stage - in this case, the disease is just beginning to emerge, the stage is characterized by the presence of individual minor symptoms.
2. The advanced stage is the active course of the disease, characterized by the presence of pronounced symptoms in a woman.
3. Defective stage - in this case, hallucinations and delusions are replaced by personality changes, autism and disturbances in the thought process.

These stages of the disease may not appear in all sick women and, moreover, not necessarily in that order. In isolated cases of the disease, hallucinations and delusions may be completely absent, while in others, on the contrary, such symptoms predominate.

Senile schizophrenia: first signs

Diagnosis of patients with senile schizophrenia is based only on the symptoms shown. Laboratory studies on this disease have not yet been carried out.

How does senile schizophrenia manifest itself at the initial stage? What should cause concern for relatives of an elderly person?

The onset of senile schizophrenia may be due to the occurrence of obsessive states:

Obsessions - obsessive thoughts;

Compulsions – obsessive actions;

Phobias – obsessive fears.

In addition, dispersonalization, dysmorphomania, and hypochondria may develop. These symptoms may be signs of low-grade senile schizophrenia.

As a result of obsessions, a person performs ridiculous actions and rituals, not paying attention to those around him for long periods of time. Typical themes of obsessions: pollution, fear of trouble, order, sexual perversion.

With phobias, patients with schizophrenia usually lack emotionality. He can calmly talk for hours about what he is afraid of. Fears can be completely ridiculous. For example, fear of certain letters.

Hypochondriacal complaints are fantastic, for example, that the blood moves through the vessels too quickly or, on the contrary, slowly, that the intestines are confused, and the like.

Sometimes a catatonic stupor or, conversely, excitement occurs.

With the development of senile schizophrenia, symptoms can be different. But usually characteristic behavioral changes appear very clearly, and loved ones should notice them as early as possible. After all, detecting the disease in the early stages will make it possible to stop its development and, therefore, avoid social isolation and other serious consequences.

So, let us once again highlight the signs of incipient senile schizophrenia:

Outbursts of causeless aggression.

Loss of interests characteristic of a person throughout life.

Delusions about relationships, actions, persecution.

Auditory and visual hallucinations.

Neurosis-like complaints - obsessions, complaints, fears.

Diagnostics

At the first stage, a woman becomes indifferent to the entire world around her; she is no longer interested in her children and spouse, her previous hobbies and work. Subsequently, the woman ceases to feel her previously inherent emotions - joy, sadness, anger or hatred.

So-called catatonic symptoms : during a conversation, the patient thinks for a long time about the answer or seems to freeze in one place, despite the fact that the posture in this case can be extremely uncomfortable or ridiculous.

Diagnosis of schizophrenia should be entrusted exclusively to a specialist in this field - a psychotherapist or psychiatrist. At the first symptoms, you must immediately contact the clinic.

After a lengthy interview with the patient, the doctor prescribes appropriate tests (if necessary), then collects a detailed history, identifies the cause that could lead to such consequences, and only after that makes or refutes the diagnosis.

Treatment methods

Many patients or relatives of women with a similar diagnosis often wonder how and how to treat schizophrenia, whether the disease can be treated or is it a death sentence for life?

The main rule of successful treatment is timely recognition of the symptoms of the disease and, as a result, seeking help from a specialist.

Schizophrenia must be treated in three stages:

• Active influence - it is aimed at ridding the patient of acute manifestations of the disease. May continue for several months.
• Stabilizing treatment - at this stage, the doses of drugs used during the active phase are reduced.
• Maintenance treatment - to prevent relapses, drug treatment can continue for up to six months or in some cases up to a year or even more (depending on the degree of progression of the disease and the stage at which it was detected).

How is schizophrenia treated?
Schizophrenia in women should be treated with antipsychotics and antipsychotics. These medications are aimed at:

• elimination of hallucinogenic symptoms and delusional ideas;
• reduction of aggressiveness.

As the acute form of the disease progresses, the patient is placed for inpatient treatment, and in most cases this is associated with the danger that threatens those around her or just strangers on the street, since in some cases the patient may behave inappropriately and sometimes aggressively. It is quite difficult to answer the question whether schizophrenia in women with this form is treatable.

Treatment

The main therapeutic tactic is to prescribe antipsychotic synthetic drugs (table). This reduces the frequency and severity of crises, increases remission and even helps prevent the development of relapse. Although each package contains instructions, doses must be prescribed by your doctor.

Table. Drugs prescribed for senile schizophrenia:

There is very little data regarding the use of electroconvulsive therapy in the treatment of senile schizophrenia, because there is no way to instrumentally or laboratory evaluate the effectiveness of this technique. According to the analysis of available modern sources, its use is doubtful for the elderly.

Cognitive behavioral therapy plays an important role in complex treatment. The technique allows you to change behavioral reactions for the better thanks to the specific structure of the old person’s thinking: eliminating negativity, finding ways to solve problems, building new thought forms, creating other stereotypes, etc.

Consequences of schizophrenia

The consequences are largely influenced by the course of the disease, and not by how schizophrenia manifests itself in women, in what form or at what stage it was identified. In addition, we should not forget about the methods of treatment, how qualified it was, and whether all the doctor’s instructions were followed. According to medical statistics, it was determined that from 20% to 60% of patients with schizophrenia received qualified treatment, thereby achieving a positive result. In some severe and advanced cases, the disease ended in suicide.

According to worldwide studies, it was found that women diagnosed with schizophrenia live longer than men, but if we talk about the disease as a whole, it does not affect the mortality rate.

In percentage terms, the mortality rate from schizophrenia is far behind, in contrast to drug addiction, alcoholism, strokes or heart attacks.

Therefore, upon hearing the diagnosis, many give up on themselves, but this opinion is erroneous, and with proper treatment, the disease can be controlled.

But it is worth noting the fact that when diagnosed with schizophrenia, negative completion of treatment can be influenced by factors such as drug use, alcohol, smoking, unbalanced diet, unfavorable living conditions, low mobility or exposure to a large number of medications on the body.

Many people wonder how to avoid schizophrenia? If, due to a hereditary factor, you have the prerequisites for the occurrence of the disease, then in this case it is necessary to minimize the provoking factors :

• avoid stressful situations;
• do not experience nervous tension;
• set aside time during the day for rest;
• during pregnancy and after childbirth, follow all the instructions of the attending physician and, at the slightest deviation in the emotional state, seek help from a psychologist.

Important! Schizophrenia is not a death sentence, and with proper and timely treatment, the patient can completely return to her previous lifestyle.

When a diagnosis is made to a loved one - mother, sister, daughter, wife or friend - your support will be extremely necessary, because it is the attitude of loved ones that often plays one of the main roles in treatment.

Rules for interacting with a patient with schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a serious psychiatric diagnosis. This mental pathology still scares people, despite the fact that many myths about this disease have already been debunked. In the modern world, no reasonable person (I hope!) considers schizophrenia to be the work of the devil or demons. The results of serious research make it possible to explain the processes occurring in the patient’s brain, and in the arsenal of psychiatrists there are the necessary medications (antipsychotic drugs), which allow not only to stop the manifestations of the disease - acute and chronic hallucinatory-paranoid symptoms, but also often achieve a complete and long-term remission and resocialization of a patient with schizophrenia. Despite this, not all people understand the rules of interaction with a person with schizophrenia. And following these recommendations is very important: they promote recovery, reduce the likelihood of recurrent psychoses, improve the climate in the family and the quality of life of both people with schizophrenia and their relatives.

• There is no need to treat your loved one yourself - this disease does not tolerate amateurs and a person with schizophrenia definitely needs professional medical (drug) help! Psychics, psychologist, church, unfortunately, will not help.
• Do not plunge deeply into the disease, do not neglect your needs and do not forget about yourself completely - in this way you will not help the sick person in any way, but you can worsen your condition.
• Do not try to constantly look for the cause of schizophrenia (no one can determine it for sure). Try to accept and come to terms with your loved one’s illness, but at the same time, do not sit idly by, but as soberly as possible, help in treatment and monitoring medication intake (a patient with schizophrenia often has no criticism of inadequate perception and the need for treatment).

The inheritance of schizophrenia is polygenic and heterogeneous - that is, this mental disorder occurs when several pathological genes are combined. Different patients with schizophrenia may have different combinations of these genes. It makes no sense to look for relatives in the patient’s pedigree who also suffered from schizophrenia - this will not change the situation in any way. It is much more rational to focus on helping the sick person, which includes not only basic care and concern, but also monitoring the implementation of the doctor’s recommendations.

• Separate for yourself the person and his illness. Try to distinguish between symptoms of illness, side effects of medications, and personality traits of a person. Even if the painful actions and statements of a person with schizophrenia hurt you, do not truly accept it. After all, these are all manifestations of the disease. It's not easy, but love your loved one even if you hate their disorder.
• Be prepared for the fact that you will most likely encounter misunderstanding and prejudice from many people around you, but despite this, remember that there is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of! No one is safe! This is your loved one, and he, unfortunately, has a mental illness.

• Expand your knowledge of mental disorders to better understand the symptoms of a disease such as schizophrenia and the illness behavior of the patient.
• Try to be close to the sick person so that he does not harm himself or someone else in a sick condition. Do not criticize his unhealthy beliefs and actions, because they will no longer trust you and may also include you in delusional experiences.
• Try to create rules and boundaries that everyone needs to know and adhere to in order to somehow keep the situation under control.