Schizophrenia is a serious mental health disorder that can include psychotic episodes and symptoms such as delusions, hallucinations and disorganized thinking and speaking. When you have schizophrenia, it can be difficult to tell whether your thoughts and perceptions are accurate.
This condition can affect your ability to manage emotions, make decisions and relate to those around you. Luckily, schizophrenia can be effectively treated — and you can live a healthy, productive life.
At an inpatient treatment center like Geisinger Behavioral Health Center Northeast, those who have schizophrenia receive the kind of intensive care that can make a lasting difference in their lives. Our multidisciplinary medical and behavioral health professional staff offer well-rounded and expert treatments for schizophrenia.
Understanding schizophrenia
People who have schizophrenia can have different symptoms. The symptoms of schizophrenia can be organized into three categories, including:
- Negative symptoms: A lowered ability to feel pleasure, difficulty expressing emotions, an inability to engage with others
- Positive symptoms: Confusing perceptions, hallucinations and delusions
- Disorganized symptoms: Difficulty speaking, confused thoughts, unusual behaviors, movements and gestures
Symptoms occur in three phases:
- Prodromal phase: This phase builds slowly and sometimes unnoticeably over years. During this phase, schizophrenia symptoms begin. You may socialize less, lose motivation and feel disconnected from your emotions. You may develop suspicious and superstitious thinking and a confusing sense of reality.
- Acute phase: More severe symptoms arise during the acute phase, which lasts at least one month. You may have intense hallucinations and trouble speaking or thinking clearly.
- Residual phase: The third phase can last many years, and depression can co-occur. Symptoms of schizophrenia during the residual phase can include difficulty functioning, hallucinations and delusional thinking that are less intense than in the acute phase.
Signs and symptoms of schizophrenia
Common signs and symptoms of schizophrenia can include:
- Confusing speech
- Emotionless or monotone speech
- Difficulty staying focused on one task
- Childlike silliness
- Standing or sitting in unusual postures
- Excessive or repetitive movement
- Hearing or seeing things that are not real
- Withdrawing from friends and family
- Struggling to perform everyday tasks
- Responding to questions with unrelated answers
- Lack of eye contact
- Loss of interest or pleasure in most activities
- Trouble concentrating or making decisions
- Memory problems
- Relationship difficulties
- Neglecting personal hygiene
- Distorted beliefs that don’t make sense to others
If you’re having symptoms of schizophrenia — or you’re seeing them in a loved one — seek professional help as soon as possible. A schizophrenia inpatient treatment center can be an ideal place for you to receive the focused care you need to begin healing.
Schizophrenia statistics
The onset of schizophrenia typically happens in late adolescence or early adulthood, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), and 1 in 3 people with schizophrenia have complete remission of their symptoms.
Seeking treatment for schizophrenia can protect your mental as well as your physical health. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) reports that co-occurring medical conditions such as heart disease and liver disease are common in people who have schizophrenia. And approximately half of people with the condition have co-occurring behavioral health disorders.
Common causes of and risk factors for schizophrenia
Research suggests that a variety of genetic and environmental factors can contribute to the onset of schizophrenia, including:
- Genetics: Schizophrenia can run in families, though no single gene can be identified as being responsible.
- Differences in brain development: Studies of people who have schizophrenia reveal a slight difference in the structure of their brains.
- Neurotransmitters: People with schizophrenia may have different amounts of neurotransmitters in their brains.
- Birth complications: Those whose mothers had complications before or during birth may be more likely to have schizophrenia.
Common triggers of schizophrenia symptoms can include:
- Stressful life events, such as the death of a loved one, divorce and job loss
- Alcohol or drug abuse
- Living in a stressful environment
The causes and symptoms of schizophrenia vary from person to person, so discuss your diagnosis with a behavioral health professional.
Potential effects of untreated schizophrenia
Getting treatment for schizophrenia can help you avoid possible effects of its symptoms including:
- Homelessness
- Co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders
- Financial challenges
- Struggles forming healthy friendships or relationships
- Feelings of isolation
- Physical health problems
- Cognitive difficulties
- Difficulty maintaining employment
- Self-harm
- Suicidal thoughts
- Suicide
If you or a loved one has schizophrenia, reach out to a mental healthcare provider for treatment that can reduce your chances of these negative effects.
Benefits of schizophrenia inpatient treatment
There is no cure for schizophrenia, but people who get treatment can have meaningful healing and avoid the effects of untreated symptoms. Certain therapies and services can be effective in treating the symptoms of schizophrenia:
- Medication management: Medication can effectively treat schizophrenia symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations. At an inpatient treatment center, you can receive daily medication management if your doctors decide to incorporate medication into your treatment plan.
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): Therapists can use cognitive behavioral therapy to address persistent symptoms that may not respond well to medication. Through CBT, you can learn to identify and change unhealthy thought patterns.
- Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT): Using DBT, therapists can work with you to understand what you need to accept about yourself and what you can change.
Therapy for those who have schizophrenia often focuses on stress reduction, employment and social skills. Having treatment at a schizophrenia inpatient treatment center lets you focus on your healing process. If you’re having debilitating symptoms, Geisinger Behavioral Health offers the medical and behavioral care needed to achieve your mental health goals.
Receiving schizophrenia inpatient treatment at Geisinger
When you’re treated at the right place, you can get relief from schizophrenia symptoms and start to heal.
Here, personalized care addresses your unique needs. Geisinger Behavioral Health offers the following features, services and treatments for those having symptoms of schizophrenia:
- Evidence-based therapies: Evidence-based therapies develop out of scientific evidence and well-researched methods with measurable outcomes. Examples include cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, group therapy and motivational interviewing. Our mental health professionals use the most current and respected therapies to treat your schizophrenia symptoms.
- Trauma-informed care: Trauma-informed care encourages therapists to consider the complete picture of your past and present as they provide mental health treatment. While practicing trauma-informed care, behavioral health professionals can help you understand the impact of past events on symptoms of schizophrenia.
- Environment: With views of Montage Mountain, our facility provides a serene setting for rest and healing. You can access outdoor spaces and designated areas for individual and group therapies throughout our hospital.
- Safety: Your safety is our priority. Specialized furniture hardware, CCTV and door access controls offer protection for every patient.
- Multidisciplinary team: A significant benefit of care at a schizophrenia inpatient treatment center is the focused attention of many behavioral health and medical professionals. They collaborate to make sure you get effective schizophrenia treatment. At our facility, you may work with psychiatrists, licensed therapists, certified nurse practitioners, physician assistants and social workers.
- After-care: From the moment you arrive at our facility, we’ll begin plans for your discharge. Healing from schizophrenia takes time and attention, so we want to be sure you have the support you need when you leave our facility.
Your time at our schizophrenia inpatient treatment center can include the following:
- Individual therapy: Depending on your needs, you can meet one-on-one with a behavioral health professional to discuss your goals, emotions and thoughts in a confidential setting.
- Group therapy: Each day, you can participate in three group therapy sessions with peers and behavioral health staff. You can benefit from feedback and support as you share your experiences and feelings with each other.
- Medication management: If your schizophrenia treatment plan includes medication, you can meet with a psychiatrist daily. Our medical staff can also offer daily maintenance of medication needs.
At Geisinger Behavioral Health, you can expect effective treatment to help you find your strengths and use them to build resiliency.
This content was written on behalf of and reviewed by the clinical staff at Geisinger Behavioral Health Center Northeast.