Posts Tagged Under: schizophrenia

Schizophrenia

Topic: Schizophrenia

Schizophrenic disorders are a type of mental disorder that is characterized by its tendency to chronicity, the deterioration of the individual’s functioning and psychotic symptoms associated with disturbances of thinking, feeling and behavior. Other characteristics of schizophrenia are the existence of strange ideas, dissociation of thought and emotion, and social withdrawal.

From the 17th to 19th century psychiatrists attempted to differentiate what today we call schizophrenia, from Melancholia, dementia in the elderly, and brain damage occurring in the wars. Those early clinicians tried to make a modern psychiatric classification by using criteria of symptomatology, in the course of the disease, and the outcome.

What nowadays we know as Schizophrenia received many other names over the centuries: Stupidity, Vesania, Idiocy, Insanity of puberty, Monomania, Paranoia, etc.

The concept of Dementia Praecox was developed in 1896, based on the early onset of the tendency towards a deterioration course. But it was not until 1908 that the name of Schizophrenia was coined, referring to the disconnection or splitting of the psychic functions believed to be an outstanding symptom of that disease.

(Edited by Dr. María Moya Guirao, MD)

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Pregnancy and Mental Health Among Womens Veterans of War

Did you know that…..

A recent study affirms that the women veterans of war with a pregnancy were twice as likely to have a diagnosis of Depression, Anxiety, Post-traumatic stress, Bipolar disorder, or Schizophrenia as the women veterans without pregnancy ?

This qualified investigation: “Pregnancy and Mental Health between Women Returning Veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan“, has been directed by Kristin M. Hoes, PH. D., and has been published in the Journal of Women’s Health (Volume 19, Number 12).
Many soldiers experience an important stress during the military service that can have lingering effects. The women veterans, like the men, commonly experience problems of mental health after the military service.

The aim of that study was to determine the prevalence of mental health problem between 43.078 pregnant women veterans (between the ages of 18 and 50), which received care in the Veterans Health Administration system.

The authors of that study state that untreated mental problems during pregnancy may produce preterm delivery, and low birth weight.

Since the beginning of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan more than 170.000 female soldiers have been deployed in those countries (7.500 in Vietnam, and 41.000 in Gulf war).

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(Edited by Dr. María Moya Guirao, MD)

mapa de Iraq y Afghanistan

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Autoscopic Syndrome

¿ What is the Autoscopic Syndrome ?

Like the Capgras’s Syndrome, the Autoscopic Syndrome consists of the delusional experience of a double.

In the Autoscopic Syndrome, however, the double is not a person from the patient environment but the patient himself.

The patient claims to see a person nearby who looks exactly like himself, talks, dresses, and act as he does.

Autoscopic Syndrome may occurs in Schizophrenia and in some Neurological disease.

(Edited by Dr. María Moya Guirao, MD)

double

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Parkinson’s Disease and Haloperidol

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Haloperidol, an antisychotic drug, diminishes the effect of L-Dopa ?

Patients with Parkinson on L-Dopa therapy may see aggravated their Parkinson disease if they received Haloperidol.

Haloperidol is a neuroleptic used in the treatment of Schizophrenia and other psychosis.

(Edited by Dr. María Moya Guirao, MD)

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Butyrophenones

Butyrophenones are neuroleptics used in schizophrenia patients, alcoholic delirium, senile psychosis, organic psychosis and some neurologic disorders. These neuroleptics block Dopamine receptors in the Central Nervous System. The most known Butyrophenones is “Haloperidol“.

Butyrophenones compared with Phenotiazines cause less hypo-tension, anticholinergic effects, cardiac complications, and sedation. However Haloperidol induces chronic cholestatic and more extra-pyramidal effects than other antipsychotic drugs.

(Edited by Dr. María Moya Guirao, MD)

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Schizophrenic Patients

Did you know that….
Schizophrenic patients often are inactive, ineffectual and lucking in volition ?

And patients thoughts become bizarre and disorganised, so he loses contact with his fellows and his surroundings.

In Schizophrenia the patient, far from presenting mental retardation, often possess a great intelligence. The hallmark of schizophrenia is the loss of contact with reality, a symptom common to all psychoses. Depersonalization, neologisms, hallucinations, stereotypy, negativism, delusions, disorganized thinking, anhedonia, etc., are common symptoms in Schizophrenia.

(Edited by Dr. María Moya Guirao, MD)

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Schizophrenic Affectivity

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The schizophrenic patient shows the characteristic schizophrenic affectivity ?

The schizophrenic patient is withdrawn, aloof and negativistic. He also has difficulty in personal relationships and social isolation is inevitably .

Many patients show such traits as hypersensitivity, shyness and lack of affect.

(Edited by María Moya Guirao, MD)

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Ronald D. Laing Biography

Who is R"Retrato de Ronald D. Laing"onald D. Laing ?

Ronald D. Laing (1927-1989) was a British psychiatrist and psychoanalyst. He worked in the famous Tavistock Clinic where he researched the extreme disturbances in human communication, especially in psychotics patients.

Laing was concerned with the developing approaches to mental illness. He said that schizophrenia is created by certain forms of human behavior in different kinds of family.

He is considered also the father of the Anti-psychiatric movement.

Ronald D. Laing was the author of numerous books :

– Self and Others

– The Divided Self

– Sanity, Madness and the Family

– The Politics if the Family

– The Politics of Experience

– Knots

(Edited by María Moya Guirao, MD)

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