Modern medications for schizophrenia without side effects. Treatment of schizophrenia without antipsychotics

Schizophrenia is a chronic disease that progresses gradually. Schizophrenia must be controlled with drug therapy, especially if the disease manifests itself with acute symptoms. In Israel, psychosocial therapy is used, the basis pharmacological therapy are neuroleptics. Atypical neuroleptics of the latest generation are used that do not cause side effects. The spectrum of psychotherapy techniques includes supportive psychotherapy, hydrotherapy, sports therapy, and art therapy.

What drugs do doctors use to treat schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is mainly treated with antipsychotic medications. They, in turn, are divided into 2 groups:

• atypical antipsychotics;
• conventional antipsychotics
• long-acting antipsychotics

They are used for various symptoms and conditions of patients, these include the following drugs.

• Risperidone (Rispolept, Risperidal, Rispaxol). The drug has a pronounced antipsychotic effect and is effective against psychotic agitation due to its sedative effect. There is a prolonged version of the drug Rispolept Konsta, administered intramuscularly once every 3-4 weeks.
• Olanzapine (Zyprexa). Can be used universally, suitable. Has a pronounced anxiolytic effect. There is a prolonged form of the drug, which is administered intramuscularly.
• Amisulpiride (Solian, Limipranil). Unlike Risperidone, it has more high efficiency, when taking it, the likelihood of developing extrapyramidal symptoms is less. Used to relieve hallucinations.
• Sertindol (Serdolect). When used, the likelihood of weight gain is reduced; it does not provoke an increase in the levels of prolactin, cholesterol and glucose. Low likelihood of developing extrapyramidal symptoms.
• Quetiapine (Seroquel, Quetirone). According to experts, it is one of the safest in terms of side effects. Very rarely causes extrapyramidal disorders. In addition, the drug is used in the treatment of affective disorders.
• Aripiprazole (Abilify). It also has a minimal likelihood of side effects and is effective in treating any type of schizophenia.
• Asenapine (Safris). . Minimal likelihood of weight gain and sedative effects.
• Clopixol Depot, Clopixol Akufaz. A prolonged form of the antipsychotic, administered intramuscularly every 3-4 weeks.
• Invega. A metabolite of the drug Risperidone, available in tablets and injections (a prolonged form is available under the name Xeplion). Unlike Risperidone, Invega is less likely to cause anxiety and sleep disturbances.

Experts select treatment based on a number of factors. In particular, the age at which the disease was diagnosed is important. The sooner the first symptoms of the disease appear, the faster the patient can be put into remission. The nature of the course also matters - if schizophrenia occurs with acute attacks (hallucinations, disorientation, emotional swings, fears), then this form is much easier to treat than sluggish schizophrenia. Note that the listed drugs belong to the group of atypical antipsychotics. In Israel, typical antipsychotics are not used due to their low effectiveness, selective action, and high likelihood of developing neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) - serious illness, dangerous for life. Symptoms of NMS include autonomic disorders, fever, muscle rigidity, and mental disorders. In addition, with neuroleptic malignant syndrome, chorea, tremor, dysarthria, dysphagia, epileptiform seizures, nystagmus, and impaired coordination may be observed. Among the antipsychotics that cause NMS, one can note Haloperidol, lithium preparations, Fluphenazine, Chlorpromazine (Aminazine). Drug treatment The acute phase of schizophrenia usually lasts for 1-2 months, after relief acute symptoms maintenance drug therapy is prescribed to maintain remission.

How is schizophrenia treated?

As a rule, it is complex, using both psychosocial therapy and a number of biological techniques. The spectrum of psychosocial therapy includes cognitive behavioral therapy, family therapy and psychotherapy. Thanks to their use, it is possible to achieve stable remission and socialize the patient. Thus, the patient can take care of himself, do basic things in everyday life, and take care of personal hygiene.
Biological treatment methods include drug therapy, psychotherapy, and supportive techniques such as occupational therapy, art therapy, sports therapy, and hydrotherapy. The greatest effect is provided by drugs for the treatment of schizophrenia - they allow you to relieve negative and positive symptoms and slow down the process of personality destruction. Are you interested in medications for the treatment of schizophrenia? Contact our specialists, we will definitely help you and your loved ones.

Schizophrenia is a complex psychiatric pathology in which regressive processes of cognitive activity extremely rarely develop. This means that the patient’s intelligence almost never suffers and remains intact after an attack. The main thing is that the frequency of attacks may increase, and the condition of the sick person at such moments may worsen. In order to help the patient directly at the time of exacerbation, psychiatry offers a list of pills for schizophrenia. Depending on the type of disease, the necessary medications will provide timely assistance. In some cases, they will even help save the life of the patient himself or his loved ones (if the psychotic state at the time of the attack makes the person uncontrollable and dangerous to himself and others).

Features of the diagnosis and course of schizophrenia

In most cases, psychiatric diagnoses are inherited: if someone suffered from them in past generations, then there is a high probability that their descendants will soon show more or less pronounced symptoms. Sometimes schizophrenia can be acquired. Mental abnormalities can develop as a result of a traumatic situation experienced, violent acts against a patient, due to chronic alcoholism and associated episodes of delirium. Taking psychedelic drugs can also lead to the development of mental disorders.

Most patients ignore the manifestations of schizophrenic disorder and seek help in the later stages, when they have to register a disability due to loss of ability to work. If you treat schizophrenia with pills in the early stages, you can avoid getting disability. To do this, you need to contact a psychiatrist as early as possible for a proper diagnosis. Tablets for schizophrenia, if chosen correctly, will help delay or completely avoid serious complications of the disease. Of course, you will have to change your lifestyle: this is also a necessary part of therapy.

It is completely impossible to cure schizophrenia with pills. Once you receive this diagnosis, you will have to live with it for the rest of your life. However, thanks to medications, the patient can afford to lead a full life and even serve in responsible positions. The exception is a continuously flowing form in which a person is completely immersed in his illusory world and is unable to get out of it even with the help of pills for schizophrenia. In this case, he needs constant care and is incapacitated.

Diagnostic criteria according to DSM-V (after diagnosis, pills for schizophrenia and psychotropic drugs will still have to be taken one way or another, otherwise the disease will progress):

• social maladjustment;
• antisocial behavior, isolation and pain when trying to invade the inner world;
• loss from reality - delusions, hallucinations;
• delirium and psychotic states;
• catatonic stupor, stereotypies;
• impaired clarity of thinking (they are relatively rare and most often in this case schizophrenia is accompanied by other diagnoses);
• attacks of delirium, during which a person becomes dangerous both to himself and to others.

Symptoms and signs of schizophrenia: what to look out for?

Symptoms will vary depending on the form of the disease. Treatment of schizophrenia with tablets will also vary greatly depending on the stage and type of the disease.

1. In paranoid schizophrenia, the patient suffers from persecutory delusions, auditory and visual hallucinations (in the later stages of the disease). Emotional and mental disorders are not typical for this form of the disease; if they are present, then we can talk about concomitant diagnoses.
2. The hebephrenic form of the disease is characterized by the presence of affective disorders. The absurd and unpredictable behavior of a sick person often becomes a real test for his colleagues and relatives. With this diagnosis, pills for schizophrenia provide visible and obvious relief for both the patient and his loved ones.
3. Catatonic schizophrenia is characterized by the presence of visible physical behavioral abnormalities. This can be the same type of waving of the arms, squinting of the eyes to the side or towards the nose, shaking of the leg. The difference between such catatonic attacks is that without pills for schizophrenia, the patient is often simply unable to interrupt obsessive movements.
4. The residual form of schizophrenia is characteristic in the intervals between attacks. It manifests itself as apathy, depression, unwillingness to do anything or change your life. The patient is inert and dysphoric: antidepressant pills for schizophrenia can come to the rescue. A list of medications is provided below. All of them are strictly prescription and can be taken with the permission of a doctor. If taken on its own, it is easy to provoke a new attack, due to which you will have to endure a new emergency hospitalization in an IPA hospital.
5. The so-called simple schizophrenia does not have any unusual symptoms: the disease develops in accordance with the description in the psychiatry textbook. The patient suffers from auditory and visual hallucinations, which, if you do not take pills during schizophrenia, get worse over time.

Features of drug treatment of schizophrenia

Depending on the stage and form of the disease, one or another class of medications should be taken in order to reduce the severity of symptoms and make it possible for the patient to live as he lived before receiving the diagnosis.

In our country, unfortunately, there are still many stereotypes regarding antipsychotic drugs. People tend to classify even relatively harmless antidepressants with a minimum of side effects as “dangerous and scary” medications. Of course, any drugs do have side effects. But if we are talking about a disease such as schizophrenia, then under no circumstances should you refuse to take specialized medications. Over time, the attacks will become more frequent and longer.

If the patient is prone to alcoholism or drug addiction, then schizophrenia progresses very quickly. Innocent auditory hallucinations during a hangover can be repeated even in a sober state. Over time, the patient begins to fall out of reality, and the appearance of hallucinations no longer seems funny and cheerful to him. He understands that he needs to run to the doctor, but it is often too late for this. schizophrenia is on the list of incurable psychiatric diseases, and by starting treatment as early as possible, you can “save” the patient not just years, but sometimes entire decades of a calm and relatively healthy life.

It should be especially noted that it is impossible to purchase tablets for schizophrenia at a pharmacy without a prescription from a psychiatrist. Almost all of them are serious drugs, and if a healthy person takes them, they can correct his behavior for the worse. That is why, before starting treatment, it is very important to conduct a competent diagnosis from an experienced psychiatrist, and sometimes consultation with several doctors is required, additional studies - MRI of the brain, EEG during sleep and wakefulness.

List of used schizophrenia pills with names

The following classes of drugs are almost always used during standard drug therapy, either as a standalone agent or as part of complex therapy:

• neuroleptics (antipsychotics) with a pronounced sedative effect - "Levomeprazine" ("Tizercin"), "Chlorpromazine" ("Aminazine"), "Promazine" ("Propazin"), "Chlorprothixene" ("Truxal");
• incisive neuroleptic drugs - "Haloperidol", "Senorm", "Hypothiazine", "Clopixol", "Mazeptil", "Trifluoperazine";
• disorganizing antipsychotic drugs - “Sulpiride”, “Prosulpin”, “Carbidin”;
• antipsychotic drugs of atypical action - "Clozapine", "Zyprexa", "Risperidone", "Leptinorm", "Ketilept", "Lakvel", "Servitel", "Victoel";
• atypical neuroleptics of the new generation - "Ipoperidal", "Abilify", "Ziprasidone".

Sedative, incisive and disorganizing neuroleptics have a fairly impressive list of side effects for both internal organs, and for the nervous system, psyche and general well-being of a person. Therefore, they are used only in extreme cases: if it is necessary to urgently stop an attack or the patient’s condition is perceived by him as unbearable.

What pills to take for schizophrenia can only be decided by the attending physician after observing the patient in a hospital setting and taking into account personal characteristics each individual patient. It is strictly forbidden to prescribe medications on your own: this can provoke a worsening of the condition and rapid progression of the disease.

Sedative antipsychotics for schizophrenic disorder

These drugs have a powerful sedative effect. They can be used for almost all types of schizophrenia as part of both complex therapy and as an independent remedy.

What pills are most often prescribed for schizophrenia with a sedative effect? This is "Levomeprazine", "Promazine" or its substitute "Propazine", "Chlorprothixene". The latter drug is also prescribed to children and adolescents with mental behavioral disorders.

Sedative neuroleptics make a person somewhat lethargic and lazy when taken regularly. In some cases, patients in their reviews note such a side effect as a strong increase in appetite - they eat again and again without feeling full. For this reason, with a long course of treatment with sedative neuroleptics, patients begin to suffer from obesity, the degree of which depends on the person’s tendency to gain excess weight and the speed of his metabolism.

Incisive antipsychotics in the fight against schizophrenic disorders

This class of drugs differs from the previous one in that it has an activating effect on the central nervous system. This action is characterized by the fact that when the drug is administered by injection or taken orally, the patient not only becomes very calm, he also does not lose the ability to think competently and logically. Older generation drugs are quite toxic.

Today, incisive antipsychotics are used relatively rarely for schizophrenia. Usually they are used only in acute forms and in the presence of pronounced both positive and negative symptoms. The most popular drugs in this class are Haloperidol, Hypothiazine, Klopixol, Trifluoperazine. They are sold strictly according to a prescription, certified by the seal of a psychiatrist and his signature. There are relatively few reviews of incisive antipsychotics. On thematic forums, people speak of these drugs as potent.

Treatment of schizophrenia with disruptive antipsychotics

This class of antipsychotics is distinguished by its ability to have a relaxing effect on muscles. Thanks to this, disorganizing antipsychotic drugs can be effective in catatonic schizophrenia and stereotypies that become obsessive.

They are also often used as maintenance treatment between attacks if the patient is prone to physical manifestations of the disease. These drugs have a fairly impressive list of side effects, negatively affecting kidney and liver function (especially if the recommended dosage is exceeded for a long time) up to the development of chronic diseases - renal failure and toxic hepatitis. Therefore, it is very important to agree on the dosage with the attending physician, taking into account the personal characteristics of the patient’s health.

Atypical antipsychotics for schizophrenic disorder

This class of drugs received its name due to the erroneous belief that the antipsychotic effect of typical antipsychotics is due to their influence on the extrapyramidal system. The first synthesized substances with a different principle of action had little effect on the patient’s motor skills. That's why they got the name "atypical".

This class of drugs has an impressive list of side effects; when taken regularly in high doses, it can provoke pathologies and dysfunction of internal organs. Also, with regular use, patients develop a rather persistent dependence: upon withdrawal, symptoms can return with a vengeance.

However, if you take drugs in moderate dosage according to a clear schedule, addiction and side effects can be avoided. In modern psychiatry, atypical neuroleptics are used quite often, especially if it is necessary to stop an attack in a patient.

Antidepressants for schizophrenia: benefit or harm?

The advisability of using antidepressants for schizophrenia is still controversial in the world of psychiatry. They are not included in the list of pills for schizophrenia, but very often psychiatrists prescribe them between attacks in order to improve the psychological state of the patient, relieve him of problems with mood, sleep, dysphoria and apathy. Reviews from patients indicate that with regular use these goals can be achieved: mood is leveled, insomnia and apathy go away.

The most commonly used drugs are: Fluoxetine, Zoloft, Prozac, Sertraline. Most antidepressants are categorically incompatible with antipsychotics and alcohol. Therefore, you cannot “prescribe” them for yourself. If SSRI antidepressants are accidentally or intentionally mixed with other psychotropics, there may be a direct threat to human life and health. That is why you can take antidepressants only under the supervision and with the consent of the treating psychiatrist.

Is it advisable to take tranquilizers for schizophrenia?

Patients often ask for advice on sleeping pills for schizophrenia while they are not taking antipsychotics. In this case, almost all psychiatrists write a prescription for tranquilizers. It's pretty weak sedatives(compared to antipsychotics). However, their action is quite sufficient for the treatment of insomnia and anxiety.

The most commonly used are Atarax, Adaptol, Phenibut, and Phenozepam. These medications are available with a prescription. Reviews from patients indicate that there are frequent side effects from taking it - drowsiness, slow reaction speed, yawning, nausea. Some patients react with increased anxiety and irritability to a new drug. However, most often, after a week of regular use, such negative symptoms disappear, the person becomes calm and problems with sleep go away.

Among the over-the-counter ones, one can highlight Fitosedan tea, as well as valerian in the form of tablets - these are mild remedies that have a minimal tranquilizing effect and are approved for use during remission to relieve nervous tension and getting rid of sleep problems.

Schizophrenia is mental disorder personality, which worsens the patient’s quality of life and leads to incapacity. Schizophrenia can be treated in several ways. In modern medicine they use:

• drug therapy;
• alternative methods;
• psychotherapy;
• folk methods.

Drug therapy

I have schizophrenia, how should I live? With a diagnosis such as schizophrenia, you can live a full life, but to prevent the symptoms of a mental disorder from disrupting everyday life, it is necessary to begin treatment in a timely manner. An effective treatment option is drug therapy.

The main drugs for schizophrenia are antipsychotics. According to their properties, they are divided into typical and atypical.

1. Typical antipsychotics affect areas of the brain in which impulse transmission is carried out by dopamine, acetylcholine and adrenaline. Due to such a powerful effect on the central nervous system, antipsychotics cause a number of side effects, so the dosage and course of treatment are prescribed exclusively by a doctor. Typical antipsychotics have sedative, relaxing and antipsychotic effects. The most effective drug in this group of drugs is Haloperidol.
2. Atypical antipsychotics do not have such a powerful effect on the receptors. Such medications are prescribed for low-grade schizophrenia. Atypical antipsychotics also have a calming and sedative effect.

Drug treatment is carried out in several stages. First of all, relief therapy is carried out. In case of a sluggish mental disorder, treatment can be carried out on an outpatient basis, but in case of exacerbation of attacks, the patient is hospitalized and treatment takes place in a hospital setting.

Depending on the severity of symptoms, the doctor prescribes typical antipsychotics. The course of treatment can range from 1 to 4 months. The main task of supervising therapy is to normalize the patient’s behavior, restore critical thinking, disappearance of attacks and the patient’s awareness of the presence of a mental disorder.

The next stage of treatment is stabilizing therapy. At this stage, the use of antipsychotics continues, but their dosage is gradually reduced. If a patient is depressed, doctors prescribe antidepressants. Ixel and Venlafaxine tablets show good results. The duration of stabilizing therapy can be 4-8 months. If the patient has complete suppression of productive symptoms, then treatment moves to the next stage.

The final stage is the adaptation stage. Doctors prescribe atypical antipsychotics. These drugs include Ipoperidal, Aripiprazole and Ziprasidone. To avoid exacerbation of an attack of schizophrenia, long-acting forms of drugs are used. The duration of this stage is 10-12 months.

Drugs for the treatment of schizophrenia are prescribed on an individual basis strictly by the attending physician.

Non-drug methods

In modern medicine, they are considered effective non-drug methods treatment of schizophrenia. They are usually prescribed in combination with drug therapy to enhance the effectiveness of the result.

1. Schizophrenia is treated with lateral physiotherapy. The principle of the procedure is the impact of an electrical impulse on areas of the skin that are regulated by different hemispheres of the brain.
2. At hypersensitivity or anxiety, lateral phototherapy is performed. The essence of the manipulation is that the right and left retinas of the eye are alternately exposed to a light pulse. Thanks to this effect, the procedure has a calming effect.
3. To enhance efficiency medicines The patient undergoes intravascular laser irradiation. The principle of the procedure is that using laser device The patient's blood is purified. Due to this, laser irradiation reduces the likelihood of drug overdose or the development of side effects.
4. If a patient experiences hallucinations due to a mental disorder, doctors use transcranial micropolarization. This treatment modality affects the structure of the brain through an electric field. This manipulation also helps relieve depression.
5. Schizophrenia is treated by taking immunomodulatory drugs. They restore the patient’s immune system after damage caused by attacks and enhance the effect of drug therapy. Immunomodulators include Rhodiola rosea, Splenin, Villazon, Thymogen and Erbisol.

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy for schizophrenia is one of the components complex treatment mental disorder. Psychotherapy helps patients control their illness. This method of treatment helps patients adapt to aspects everyday life, for example, communicating with people or visiting public places.

Psychotherapy sessions can be conducted individually or in a group of people suffering from schizophrenia. In group sessions, patients share with each other their experiences and acquired daily life skills.

Psychotherapy has several directions. Cognitive behavioral therapy aims to examine one's own behavior. The main goal of CBT is to change the way you think and behave. As a result, the patient begins to better understand himself, his feelings and learn to control his thoughts and behavior.

In advanced stages, schizophrenia can be treated with hypnosis. During hypnosis, the doctor, through suggestion, develops the skills that are necessary for independent control of the disease.

When treating schizophrenia, the support of loved ones is especially important. That's why family therapy exists in psychology. During the sessions, family members are trained in various types of medical and social assistance.

Newest approach

One of the most severe forms The mental disorder is schizophrenia, the treatment of the disease is therefore carried out comprehensively.

On pharmaceutical market currently presented the latest drugs for the treatment of schizophrenia, namely: Sertindole, Blonanserin, Ipoperidal and Aripiprazole.

These drugs have virtually no side effects. In addition, they reduce the risk of developing depression and cognitive impairment.

Treatment with cytokines is considered effective. This method is aimed at restoring immunity and stimulating regeneration processes. Treatment is carried out by injection. The course of treatment can vary from 5 to 10 days depending on the degree of schizophrenia. Cytokines also contribute to the restoration of damaged areas of the brain.

The development of schizophrenia can be triggered by the death of hippocampal cells, therefore, in the treatment of mental disorder, the use of stem cells, which promote the regeneration of dead structures, has shown good results. This method of treatment is carried out in a state of remission.

Treatment of schizophrenia with folk remedies has been practiced for many years. Today there are many different ways home treatment, but all of them cannot cure schizophrenia. With the help traditional medicine you can only eliminate the symptoms of the disease and improve general condition sick. Pick up folk remedies should be consulted with your attending physician based on concomitant diseases and portability of components.

1. A medicine based on vegetable oil and mignonette. Pour 150 g of herb with 400 ml of unrefined oil. The infusion should stand in the refrigerator for 10-14 days. Rub the mixture into the temple area 3-4 times a day. This method will also help get rid of insomnia.
2. Schizophrenia can be treated with an infusion of blackberry leaves and hop cones. Take 100 g of each ingredient. Pour the mixture with 400 ml of boiling water. Take 1 tbsp before meals. l. The course of treatment is long. This procedure should be carried out throughout the year. This infusion helps strengthen the nervous system.
3. Typically, the main symptom of schizophrenia is a feeling of fear. You can fight this feeling with the help of a zyuznik. Pour 2 tbsp. l. herbs 200 ml hot water. Leave the infusion for 1.5-2 hours, then strain the finished mixture. You need to take the product 2 times a day, 100 ml. The course of treatment is one month.
4. Attacks of suffocation and hysteria can be treated with tincture of viburnum bark. To do this, chop the bark and pour 1 tbsp. l. mixture 250 ml boiling water. Cool the finished infusion and strain. The product should be taken in small sips throughout the day.
5. The feeling of anxiety can be reduced with an alcohol tincture of valerian rhizome. To prepare the recipe, pour 1 tbsp. l. roots 100 ml vodka. Take the product every day, 5-7 drops 3 times.
6. An infusion of digitalis will help alleviate the patient's condition. Pour 1/3 tbsp. l. herbs 200 ml hot water. You need to drink the product 3 times a day, 50 ml.

To get rid of attacks of the disorder once and for all, during treatment it is necessary to stop drinking alcoholic and tonic drinks, as well as smoking. Particular attention should be paid to nutrition. Meat and other heavy foods should be excluded from the diet.

Schizophrenia is a mental personality disorder or group of disorders that is associated with a breakdown of thought processes and emotional reactions. Personality disorders are characterized by fundamental disturbances in thinking, perception, and reduced or inadequate effect. And auditory hallucinations, fantastic, paranoid delusions, disorganization of speech, thinking and performance disorders are the most common manifestations of the disease. The incidence of the disease is the same in men and women, however, women tend to have a late onset.

The disease schizophrenia has a variety of symptoms, which in turn has given rise to debates about a single disease or a complex of individual syndromes. The very etymology of the word, which includes splitting of the mind, causes confusion, since the disease is mistaken for a split personality.

Amitriptyline tablets

It is used to treat depression of various origins, anxiety, behavioral disorders, all kinds of phobias, certain types of bedwetting in children, anorexia...

Abilify tablets

Antipsychotic drug (neuroleptic). It is assumed that therapeutic effect aripiprazole in schizophrenia is due to a combination of partial agonist activity against...

Limipranil tablets

Limipranil is an antipsychotic drug. Active substance: amisulpride, its bioavailability is 48%. Application is indicated for the treatment of schizophrenia (chronic and acute), during which...

Zyprexa tablets

Being a ligand of serotonin (2A/2C, 3, 6), dopamine (D1-D5), m-cholino- (m1-m5), histamine H1- and alpha1-adrenergic receptors, it selectively affects the limbic system...

Invega tablets

Mechanism of action. Paliperidone is a centrally acting dopamine D2 receptor antagonist that also exhibits high serotonin 5-HT2 receptor antagonism...

Quentiax tablets

Quentiax is a modern antipsychotic medicine. Available in tablet form different shapes and color shades: 25 mg, 100 mg, 200 mg and 300 mg. The drug is intended for...

Pantocalcin tablets

Pantocalcin tablets are a nootropic drug that has neurometabolic, neuroprotective and neurotrophic properties. Increases the brain's resistance to hypoxia and toxic substances...

Treatment is carried out in several stages.

Schizophrenia: facts about the disease

This disease is a complex of mental disorders that are associated with disturbances in the emotional sphere, thinking processes and perception. All signs characteristic of of this disease, are divided into several groups. Here they are:

1. Positive symptoms. There's talk about symptoms that are not observed in healthy people. Hallucinations, increased excitability, obsessive states and ideas, fragmentation and disorder of thinking - these are the main ones.
2. Negative symptoms. In this case, it is implied, on the contrary, the absence of those abilities, properties and character traits that should be characteristic of a healthy person. Thus, patients with schizophrenia do not have a sense of purpose, initiative, enthusiasm, desire for social contacts, or responsiveness.
3. Affective changes. We are talking about factors that influence a person’s mood. In the case of schizophrenia, such factors may include depression, anxiety, loneliness, and suicidal thoughts.
4. Cognitive symptoms. On early stages illness, a person has problems concentrating, memory impairment, inattention, slow thinking, lack of self-criticism, including regarding the disease.

Patients go through a cycle of conditions that includes 4 stages.

Cyclicity of the patient's condition

Each phase has its own clinical picture. Exacerbation. The duration of the phase is 6 weeks or more. The phase is accompanied by the following symptoms:

• decreased productivity of the thinking process, attention, memory;
• loss of interest in life, what is happening around, in oneself;
• apathy;
• increased irritability, aggressiveness, anxiety, nervous tension;
• headaches;
• overestimation of one’s own capabilities: absurd ideas about supernatural abilities, missions on Earth, and the like;
• rave;
• speech disorders;
• incoordination of movements;
• increased sweating.

Stabilization. Duration more than 6 months. The following symptoms accompany the phase:

• disturbance of perception, which is short-term;
• delirium, but it is mildly expressed;
• ignoring the requests of others;
• stubbornness, which is expressed in the fact that the patient does exactly the opposite of what he is asked to do;
• minor disorder of memory, thinking and emotional sphere, which intensifies.

Relapse. This phase is characterized by the following clinical picture:

• affective symptoms: feelings of melancholy, anxiety, apathetic state;
• cognitive symptoms: sharp decline concentration, rapid loss of interest in something, thoughtless actions.

Remission. If the patient has not shown any signs of the disease for six months, this indicates that it has entered the last stage. The person is adequate, feels good, looks healthy. In order for the disease to go into remission as soon as possible, it is necessary to treat it. This is especially true for the exacerbation stage, but it should not be brought to that stage. As soon as relatives notice the first manifestations of signs of the disease, it is necessary to consult a doctor and begin treatment.

Treatment of schizophrenia with drugs

The primary goal of drug therapy is to eliminate the productive symptoms of the disease, in particular delusions and hallucinations.

For this purpose, neuroleptics are actively used. Without these medications, treatment for schizophrenia is impossible. Depending on the properties of the drug, antipsychotics are divided into: Typical. They affect those areas of the brain in which nerve impulses transmitted using dopamine, serotonin, acetylcholine or adrenaline. This group of drugs has many side effects that significantly reduce the quality of life of a sick person. There are 2 groups of typical antipsychotics:

• sedatives, which relax, calm the nervous system, and have a hypnotic effect;
• antipsychotics, which have a more powerful effect;
• Haloperidol, which is an antipsychotic, is often used to treat schizophrenia.

Stages of drug treatment

Drug treatment for schizophrenia is usually carried out according to the following scheme:

1. Relief of symptoms. Purpose: neuroleptics of the typical group. In the stage of exacerbation of the disease, treatment is carried out inpatiently; in other cases, outpatient and semi-inpatient forms are allowed. The drug is selected exclusively by the doctor, taking into account the patient’s condition, the severity of symptoms and contraindications to taking a particular medication. With the correct prescription of drugs, the signs of the disease are partially or completely eliminated, behavior becomes adequate, critical thinking returns, and the patient is aware of his condition and evaluates it. The duration of treatment ranges from 1 to 4 months.
2. Stabilization of condition. Indications: the course of taking the neuroleptic continues. On at this stage treatment is aimed at eliminating symptoms of a productive and residual nature, eliminating pre-relapse and early relapse disorders. As the condition improves, the dosage of the medicine is reduced. At this stage of therapy, the patient may develop a depressive state, which is corrected with the help of antidepressants. In some cases, it is advisable to replace the drug with a disinhibiting antipsychotic. The duration of the stage is from 3 to 9 months. Treatment is considered successful if productive symptoms are completely suppressed.
3. Adaptation. At this stage, the patient is treated on an outpatient basis. Purpose: activating neuroleptics of the atypical group. The goal of treatment is the patient’s adaptation to society, in particular, assistance in establishing social contacts and social and labor adaptation. Since there is still a risk of relapse, the patient is prescribed long-acting drugs and the patient's condition is constantly monitored. The duration of this stage is at least 12 months.
4. Prevention. In order to prevent relapse, which occurs in 50% of patients, antipsychotics are prescribed in low dosages. If an increase in attacks is observed, carbamazepine and lithium salts are prescribed.

Modern medicine does not stand still and offers new methods of therapy.

Atypical. They also have an effect on receptors, but more actively on serotonin receptors, while dopamine receptors have less influence. Their antipsychotic effect is less pronounced. These schizophrenia medications focus more on anxiety and relaxation. Thus, the difference between typical and atypical antipsychotics is that the former have a wider range of applications, but the latter have a less intense effect on the body, as a result of which side effects are reduced.

New treatments

One method is the administration of cytolysins. These substances belong to the group of glycoproteins that control processes occurring in the body at the intercellular level. They modulate inflammatory and autoimmune processes, provide communication between the cells of the central nervous and immune systems, improve the regeneration of tissues and brain cells, which implies their restoration.

The method of psychotherapy is also used. At the core this method lies the therapeutic value of communication. It is implied that the patient must undergo a course of psychoanalysis. The method will be effective provided that the psychiatrist is highly qualified. In any case, relatives must understand that schizophrenia is a very serious chronic disease that should in no way be ignored or tried to cope with it without the involvement of psychiatrists. On the contrary, the sooner the patient receives qualified assistance based on an individual approach, the sooner he will be able to return to an adequate state.

Russian drug for schizophrenia without side effects

The Research Institute of Pharmacology of the Tomsk National Research Medical Center (NRMC) presented a unique herbal medicine for schizophrenia. According to the developers, the new drug is an order of magnitude safer than synthetic antipsychotic drugs used in medical practice, and does not harm the human nervous system.

Visitors in the Guests group cannot leave comments on this post.

Tablets for schizophrenia

Are there any pills for schizophrenia, after taking which you can forget about the disease forever. This question worries everyone who has a loved one suffering from mental disorders. There are many treatment methods and medications, but each of them must be prescribed individually depending on the patient’s condition.

Pills for schizophrenia: the most effective ways to combat madness

Schizophrenia is one of the most complex and not fully understood diseases. It is difficult for people with mental disorders to determine whether certain strange things are happening in reality or not. The disease is accompanied by impaired thinking, inability to manage one’s emotions, communicate adequately and behave in society. Disease for a long time was considered incurable. It has accompanied humanity from time immemorial. Ancient healers described conditions, even created herbal-based medicines for schizophrenia, but they still could not get rid of the disease forever. But as we know, scientific minds do not stop there, and each generation of psychiatrists has worked to create powerful drugs that can, if not curb the disease, then at least cause lasting remission.

What is schizophrenia

Before you start treating the disease, looking for drugs for schizophrenia, you need to know what kind of disease it is and what the causes of its occurrence are. According to the precise statements of experts, schizophrenia is a disorder, a “failure” in the functioning of the human brain, from which all commands for execution by the body come. For this reason, the patient sees the world differently, his connection with real situation business A person with mental disorders may hear sounds that do not exist in reality, suffer from hallucinations, mutter incomprehensible things, suffer from persecution delusions, etc. Such conditions cause an abnormal quality of life; they cannot feel confident in society, lose contact with others, and strive to “hide” in their own limited world.

Who is more prone to illness?

Scientists for many years studied the disease and found that people aged 15 to 35 years are most susceptible to the disease. And this is understandable. It is during these years that the formation of personality occurs, the first conflicts arise, the first sexual experience, stress, depression, feelings, adaptation with the surrounding society. Processes in the human body are also of great importance in this regard. Regulation occurs hormonal levels, which directly affects a person’s thinking ability. But there are often cases when a mental disorder accompanies a child from the first days of his life. In these cases, the disease can be provoked in the womb by:

• heredity;
• alcoholism, drug addiction;
• infectious diseases of pregnant women;
• injuries during childbirth, etc.

Diagnosis of the disease

The disease is difficult to recognize from its first moments of manifestation. Basically, oddities in human behavior are explained by adolescence, stress, and depression. Therefore, it is important, especially for parents of children who develop strange behavior, to consult a doctor in a timely manner. A disease such as schizophrenia cannot be left untreated; therapy undertaken on time will be the key to long-term remission or elimination of all factors that mandatory will lead to serious illness.

The term "schizophrenia" includes a group of mental disorders various shapes and flow phases. Thanks to discoveries and detailed studies of the disease, experts were able to form important ideas about the criteria, classifications mental illness, manifestations of its clinical picture. Now every experienced psychiatrist can make an accurate diagnosis and undertake appropriate treatment. Doctors can also pay attention in advance to certain processes leading to the development of schizophrenia, thereby preventing a dangerous illness and prescribing adequate therapy for the treatment of schizophrenia.

Symptoms of the disease

According to the testimony of those who witnessed the first symptoms, the patient behaved somehow differently, but they did not understand what was happening to him. There are signs that can help identify a mental disorder that has arisen suddenly or gradually. Therefore you need to pay special attention for the following points:

• hostile attitude towards everyone;
• desire to isolate from society;
• frequent or prolonged depression;
• inability to express one’s emotions, inability to cry, laugh at the right moments;
• hygiene problems;
• frequent insomnia or constant drowsiness;
• incoherent speech;
• use of strange, incomprehensible words in vocabulary;
• absent-mindedness, forgetfulness;
• aggressive reaction to any criticism.

People with mental disorders often appear eccentric, or completely devoid of any emotions. They look unkempt because they stop taking care of themselves. They give up previously loved activities, their grades in school drop, and their performance at work deteriorates.

The main symptoms of the disease are:

• hallucinations;
• rave;
• lack of composure;
• absent-mindedness, lack of concentration;
• spontaneous, slurred, uncollected speech.

Symptoms may also be supplemented by other oddities, it all depends on the patient, his character, the form of the disease, etc.

Drugs for the treatment of schizophrenia

There are many ways to influence the mental state of a sick person. Apply medicines, surgical intervention, as well as non-traditional and innovative methods. Let's start studying the list of drugs for the treatment of schizophrenia with popular names. It includes a list of drugs with antipsychotic, sedative, sedative and other properties.

1. Quetiapine, also known as Seroquel. It is used to influence the condition in the early stages, relapses, and acute phases of the disease. Causes long-term remission when taken regularly, relieves feelings of depression, and eliminates mania. The course of treatment is prescribed on an individual basis. Thanks to the effects of the drug, the patient becomes calm, the feeling of anxiety and depression goes away.
2. Cyclodol. Mental illness, unfortunately, will have to be treated throughout your life. Most medications have side effects. The most common problem is impaired motor function, parkinsonism - muscle stiffness, tremors, spasms, restlessness, etc. To eliminate problems, cyclodol and diphenhydramine are used.
3. Phenazepam. In 40% of cases, in the early stages of the disease, during depression, the drug returns a person to normal life. Tension and anxiety are relieved, the person again feels a surge of strength and adapts to society.
4. Noopept for schizophrenia, which is constantly reviewed by experts and patients, has the powerful property of activating metabolic processes in the human brain. Cells are replenished with the necessary amount of oxygen, nootropics are used for brain injuries, cell damage due to encephalitis, meningitis, etc.
5. Rispolept for schizophrenia is prescribed for complex forms and acute phases of the disease. The medicine inhibits productive symptoms, eliminates hallucinations, delusional states, excessive aggression or complete apathy. Doses and course of treatment are prescribed only by a specialist.
6. At malignant form an illness in which there is a continuous course of the acute phase of the disease, powerful antipsychotics such as promazine, clozapine, haloperidol are used.
7. A simple form of the disease is treated with antipsychotics to stimulate the effect of more powerful drugs. Names used include biperiden, trihexinphenidyl, as well as the atypical series: olanzapine, risperidone.
8. For mental disorders accompanied by cerebral edema - low-grade schizophrenia, infusion treatment using insulin-potassium-glucose therapy is used. Artificial cooling using heating pads with ice, taking diuretics, diazepam tablets, and administration of hexenecal anesthesia are also necessary.

Modern psychopharmacotherapy includes a long list of new medications for treatment, thanks to which it is possible to improve the quality of life not only for the person suffering from schizophrenia, but also for those around him. It's no secret that a sick person can be potentially dangerous. It is people with such an illness who are included in the list of the most dangerous criminals, maniacs. Due to the aggression and incontinence of mentally suffering individuals, conflicts and troubles most often arise.

Treatment of schizophrenia with hunger and medication

Modern methods of influencing the suppression of mental disorder include non-traditional approaches. For greater effect, specialists combine taking medications from a large and varied list, as well as physical methods. A unique innovation that makes the patient feel much better is very popular.

Important: this method also has its opponents. Whether to use it or not should be decided only by a specialist with experience in this treatment tactic.

Treatment of schizophrenia by fasting

Doctors and innovators in psychiatry decided to put patients on a certain diet. Apparently, heavy, fatty, spicy, fried, smoked foods cause slagging in the body. Metabolic processes are inhibited, brain cells die, and human mental function is disrupted. Non-drug treatment works in the early stages of the disease.

The therapy includes several important factors: the inclusion of fermented milk products in the diet with the combination of a strict daily regimen and determining the stage of the disease and its form. It is not for nothing that there is a statement that a fresh sore heals faster. You can also include fresh fruits, vegetables, and steamed dishes in your diet. An important component of a healthy diet is white fish, which contains Omega-3 fatty acids, microelements that help improve metabolic processes throughout the body.

Innovative treatments for schizophrenia

Methods such as the use of stem cells and insulin coma began to be used in psychotherapy. The first method gives amazing results. The study of immature cells began in the 20th century. As it turned out, unique particles are capable of completely transforming into the cells of the organ next to which they are located. And completely healthy. Can be completely reborn into brain cells responsible for mental, mental properties person.

Insulin coma has been used for many years. The patient is injected with a certain amount of the drug, after which he enters a soporous state. The dose and time spent in a coma are determined by the attending physician. For treatment, the patient is allocated a separate room and medical staff. The patient is brought out of the condition by drinking sweet tea and injecting glucose.

How is schizophrenia treated in Russia?

In recent years, a mass of psychiatric clinics, where various treatment methods are used with maximum effect. First of all, experts point out that it is necessary to identify pathology in the early stages. Therefore, great emphasis is placed on high-quality diagnosis of the disease. An anamnesis is taken, information about the patient’s behavior is collected, a council of experienced doctors who have completed practice in the best clinics peace.

Prevention of mental illness

Modern medicine does not have preventive measures, in which the disease could be guaranteed to be prevented. But it is possible to influence the child’s psychological maturation in order to minimize the risk of developing mental disorders due to stress, depression, puberty, social adaptation, etc.

1. Complete harmony should reign in the family; parents are strictly forbidden to conflict or make trouble in front of their beloved child.
2. It is strictly forbidden to drink alcohol or take drugs during pregnancy and before conceiving a child.
3. It is not recommended to host loud parties at home with drinking alcohol.
4. Spend as much time as possible with your child, organize active holidays in the lap of nature more often, and engage in a common exciting activity.
5. Try to make contact with the child, invite him to open conversations more often, and eliminate the child’s secrecy.
6. At the first signs: silence, frequent depression, detachment, isolation, consult a specialist.

Important: even hints about a child’s suicide should not be overlooked. This is one of the main symptoms of mental pathology.

Is schizophrenia curable?

There is still no definite answer to this question. Most doctors are still confident that this is not a disease, but a state of a person’s soul, his characteristics, which can be influenced by drugs or non-medically. The problem may concern an illness in the acute phase, a complex form, or a special type of classification. But there are still innovations, thanks to which both the patient and his loved ones can hope for complete cure.

There is an electric shock method, an insulin coma, a surgical lobotomy, a method of treatment with stem cells and a number of unique drugs that create long period remission. In any case, work is being carried out regularly, and scientists are working every day to create a type of treatment in which you can breathe a sigh of relief and forget about mental disorders.

Schizophrenia: classical and modern approaches

What is schizophrenia, what are the causes of its occurrence and the main symptoms, modern approaches to the treatment of this disease.

Schizophrenia refers to a whole group of diseases that can be completely heterogeneous in their manifestation. They are interconnected by unknown origin and chronic course. The article will talk about why schizophrenia occurs, what factors can provoke it, and what are the symptoms of this disorder. In addition, some features of diagnosis and treatment of the disease will be revealed: both classical complex methods, so modern methods therapy.

What is schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a mental illness with a chronic course, which is characterized by disturbances in thinking and behavior, ultimately leading to the destruction of the patient’s personality, expressed to varying degrees.

In ordinary circles, there is a widespread belief that schizophrenia is delusions and hallucinations that occur in a violent mentally ill person. This is not true, and in psychiatry there are clear criteria by which the disease can be diagnosed. They make it possible to separate schizophrenia from other mental disorders and psychoses of exogenous origin, which can occur with certain diseases or poisonings.

Criteria that distinguish schizophrenia from other disorders

• Patient's secrecy. A sick person does not share his inner experiences with others; occasionally he can open up only to the closest people. Therefore, the appearance of schizophrenia can often be suspected only by changed behavior.
• The idea of ​​being chosen. The patient is convinced of his uniqueness, unlike those around him. He is sure that the idea haunts only him and only he can take some action with global consequences.
• The appearance of neologisms in speech. A person begins to use words that do not exist in the language, and their meaning is clear only to him alone.
• Complex structure of delirium. The patient's visions are unusual and fantastic. They include people close to him, significant figures of the state, and famous historical figures. However, the more the disease progresses, the more noticeably the delusion simplifies and the picture of the world narrows.

It should be borne in mind that in some forms of schizophrenia, delusions and hallucinations are absent. This may be misleading to the patient or those around him. In fact, these signs are not decisive in the diagnosis of this disease. The main symptom is a disturbance in the thinking style common to most people, as well as a decrease in the patient’s interest in social life.

A person who is conditionally mentally healthy may also experience hallucinations, for example, under the influence of drugs or due to organic brain damage. But such visions will be associated with vivid emotional experiences. But in a patient with schizophrenia, hallucinations are often either unrelated to his emotional experiences, or even contradict them. For example, he can talk about unpleasant things with a smile. This reflects the splitting of a person’s personality.

People who have to communicate with people with schizophrenia, as a rule, feel discomfort caused by some kind of internal contradiction. This is due to the fact that it is almost impossible for such patients to express themselves in the form that is familiar to us. They are confused by emotions and cannot always choose a form of behavior that allows others to understand their point of view. Accordingly, they are unable to understand the feelings of other people.

A sick person is busy only with his internal experiences and thoughts, so their behavior can deviate greatly from the usual social norm. As the disease progresses, the patient's personality changes more and more, and often a completely different person appears before others. At the beginning of the disease, the patient himself becomes frightened and anxious about what is happening to him, as well as from the narrowing of his usual circle of contacts and interests. But little by little he begins to withdraw more and more into internal experiences, and his own world completely replaces society for him. Over time, due to the lack of connection with the world, his brain begins to act according to previously learned stereotypes and ceases to need any new information. The patient's emotions become more and more simplified, which leads to the gradual destruction of the personality. A person develops apato-abulic syndrome: he can sit motionless for hours, doing nothing, without experiencing any emotions. Schizophrenia can lead to loss of ability to work or disability of a person. Its degree depends on how preserved the patient’s personality is.

This article is aimed at helping readers understand the manifestations of this disease, understand the essence of internal changes in the psyche of patients and find out their possible external manifestations.

Who has schizophrenia

It is safe to say that no person is immune from schizophrenia. Now it affects 1% of the world's population. The chance of getting sick is the same for both men and women. People who have relatives with schizophrenia are at greater risk. The closer the family connection and the more cases of schizophrenia in the family, the higher the likelihood of the disease.

However, it would be a mistake to believe that the reason is only heredity: other factors can also cause the manifestation of schizophrenia. They can be very different: characteristics of character and upbringing, hormonal changes, being in an unfavorable environment (for example, in the army or other regime structures).

Of course, the use of psychoactive substances or alcohol also provokes the appearance of this disease. However, only specialist doctors can determine what exactly was the cause under conditions of long-term inpatient monitoring of the patient. However, the main risk factors for manifest schizophrenia should be kept in mind:

• Upbringing in early childhood, if it was contradictory (today the child is allowed to do this or that action, tomorrow it will be severely punished), and one of the parents or both had an overly domineering character and were distinguished by emotional coldness.
• Hormonal changes in the body. This includes adolescence, as well as the period of pregnancy and the first months after childbirth. This is the time when a person experiences additional mental, physical, and emotional stress. Sometimes the nervous system cannot stand it and a breakdown occurs.
• Severe stress. All people experience such moments throughout their lives. But different people in similar cases, the reaction can be completely different depending on the characteristics of the psyche, genetics, temperament, and so on. By the way, this is why it is very important to be able to learn and teach children to use methods that allow you to quickly calm down. Sometimes your health literally depends on it.
• Use of psychoactive drugs. Any substances with an exciting effect affect processes in the central nervous system and brain. Moreover, this applies not only to alcohol and drugs, but also to cigarettes, coffee, and tea. Therefore, people who are at risk of developing schizophrenia should avoid using them.

Main hypotheses of the occurrence of schizophrenia

This disease is an endogenous disorder, that is, it is caused by internal reasons. Medicine is not able to comprehensively identify and eliminate them. Therefore, effective prevention and complete cure of the disease are currently impossible. But at the same time, psychiatric science has achieved sufficient understanding of the biochemical processes occurring in the patient’s brain in order to be able to influence them with medication. However, since schizophrenia is a group of mental disorders, there is no treatment that would help all patients without exception. In each individual case, an individual selection of medication and its dose is required. It is most effective to do this in stationary conditions, especially on initial stage treatment.

So, there are several hypotheses about the causes of schizophrenia. So, there is an opinion that it can be caused by the influence of viral infections that can trigger pathological processes in the brain. The idea that the disease depends on the ratio of serotonin and dopamine in the human body is also popular. And homeopathic doctors are often adherents of the theory of amino acid deficiency, which leads to schizophrenia. This allows them to prescribe various dietary supplements and homeopathic medicines to such patients.

Psychologists explain the emergence of schizophrenia with the theory of transactional analysis, which considers the patient’s personality as a combination of the internal Parent and Child. Under the influence of the disease, the patient loses his inner individuality and will, as a result of which he ceases to distinguish which of his needs come from the childish part and which from the criticizing Parent. Such conclusions can be drawn based on studying the clinical picture of the disease.

Despite the variety of hypotheses, none of them has been fully confirmed, since it has not yet been possible to identify visible structural changes in the central nervous system. It is possible that the cause of schizophrenia is a combination of all the above factors, but for now it is classified as a classic mental illness.

Forms, types and types of course of schizophrenia

The most common form of the disease is paranoid. This is what they mean when they talk about schizophrenia in the common sense. This form is based on paranoia - a structured delusion of persecution, or accusation, or special status. Patients with a paranoid form of schizophrenia may imagine themselves as Napoleon or some similar extraordinary person, agent special purpose. They almost always experience auditory hallucinations that manifest as “voices in their head.” Symptoms paranoid form quite difficult to identify and diagnose, at the same time, these patients remain safe and able to work for a long time.

Another form of the disease is the so-called simple schizophrenia. Characterized by a lack of visions and delusions in the presence of a personality defect. These patients usually demonstrate a rapid loss of will and interest in themselves and the world around them. Due to this, disability occurs after a short period of time.

Children and adolescents demonstrate such forms of the disease as childhood, hebephrenic and catatonic. Childhood schizophrenia varies in its manifestations, but always appears in childhood. Not always amenable to differentiation into any group.

The catatonic form is accompanied by a very strong immersion of the patient in his internal experiences, a significant narrowing of consciousness, immobilization or, conversely, excessive excitement. During attacks, it is difficult to reach him, and at the same time he is extremely suggestible. By speaking carefully to the patient, he can easily be forced to perform certain actions. Sharp sounds provoke him to aggression and severe anxiety.

Schizophrenia of the hebephrenic type is characterized by the appearance of unusual funny behavior and childishness in the patient. With this form of the disease, delusions and hallucinations practically do not occur, but the emotional sphere suffers greatly and a personality defect quickly develops. The mood of such a patient is characterized by extreme instability. Such patients are usually almost insensitive to drug treatment and are not amenable to work social adaptation and psychotherapy. The earlier schizophrenia appears, the faster apato-abulic syndrome develops. With this course of the disease, the child does not have time to reach a level of development that allows him to gain knowledge and master any profession.

Some experts distinguish neurotic schizophrenia as a separate form. In this case, there are no delusions and hallucinations, but a pronounced decrease in will and emotions. Outwardly, it looks like a neurotic disorder accompanied by a simple form of schizophrenia.

There is also schizophrenia of an undifferentiated form. As a rule, it is observed for some time, and then takes on clearer outlines. This condition can also occur after an acute period of illness - so-called post-schizophrenic depression.

Usually other mental disorders are antagonists of this disease, but in rare cases a combination of them occurs. Schizophrenia in the background mental retardation called pfropfschizophrenia.

The disease has various types courses: continuous, paroxysmal, progradient-paroxysmal. Depending on this, clear periods of exacerbations and remissions are distinguished or absent.

In addition to those listed, there are also nuclear types of schizophrenia. This is a malignant course of the disease, in which the process begins abruptly, proceeds quickly and causes serious disability in a person. In some cases, resuscitation measures are required, since schizophrenia may be accompanied by twilight state consciousness, high temperature, refusal to eat and drink for delusional reasons.

Clinical picture and symptoms of the disease

The main symptom of schizophrenia is a disorder of the thinking sphere. At the same time, the patient cannot be denied a certain logic: he is completely subject to certain laws and rules. The problem is that the essence of these laws is clear only to the patient himself.

On the one hand, this does not allow us to talk about a decrease mental abilities or mental retardation, on the other hand, it is clearly clear that thinking abilities are not used for their intended purpose. This leads to the fact that the patient cannot understand the essence of the simplest things, but instead indulges in extraneous abstract reasoning in the form of a monologue.

Other signs characteristic only of schizophrenia:

• Openness of thought, when a person is sure that everything he thinks about is available to the people around him.
• The violent nature of suggestions that come from “voices in the head.”
• Chosenness - the patient is confident that only he is able to recognize some important information or complete a certain mission.

Due to the fact that the patient lives guided by his internal attitudes, he gradually loses touch with the surrounding reality and ceases to perceive information coming from there. If at the initial stage of the disease he still tries to fill in the emerging gaps with his imagination, then over time he becomes increasingly immersed in the inner world, and real actions are replaced by various behavioral stereotypes. The patient can spend hours performing monotonous processes: writing the same numbers, drawing doodles, repeating certain phrases. His energy is becoming less and less, and he is unable to explain his behavior.

The next stage is the defeat of a person’s emotional sphere. Emotions lose color, communication with others becomes more and more difficult. The patient himself is unable to put any feelings into the words he speaks and cannot recognize the feelings of his interlocutor. His inner world is increasingly fragmented and destroyed, the needs for socialization are gradually disappearing.

Another characteristic of the course of the disease is the loss of a person’s productivity and lack of goal-setting. The patient loses his own will and begins to submit to the influence of the voices sounding in his head. He ceases to be interested in anything other than this information and his inner experiences. Of course, this significantly changes human behavior. He becomes unsociable, unable to concentrate on external factors, the people around him scare him. Gradually, he completely ceases to distinguish the inner world from the outer world, and does not feel the difference between his personality and reality.

All these experiences frighten the patient and greatly tire his psyche. He lacks the resources that could help him cope with the disease on his own, and he does not trust those around him. In such a situation, the participation of an experienced specialist who could help a person find the remnants of a healthy personality and some hidden resources of the body is critically important. A psychiatrist-psychotherapist is able, together with the patient, to develop criteria on which he can later rely when interacting with the outside world.

This is a very complex process, and, of course, it is not possible in a single consultation. The patient should spend some time under observation, preferably not by one specialist, but by a board of doctors. In this case, the probability of determining correct diagnosis and treatment regimens, because what one doctor missed may be noticed by another.

Differential diagnosis: differences between schizophrenia and other mental illnesses

To a person not knowledgeable in psychiatry, it may seem that it is impossible to make a diagnosis based solely on a conversation with a person. However, this is not entirely true. Of course, doctors would also like to have clear criteria for diagnosis, but the fact is that the group of diseases called schizophrenia is characterized by the absence of any structural changes in the central nervous system. Today we have to rely only on the experience and professional instincts of specialists. That is why they insist on long-term observation of the patient in a hospital setting; there are no other ways to diagnose schizophrenia.

During the initial treatment of a patient who demonstrates symptoms of this illness, a comparative diagnosis is first performed to rule out other mental illnesses. It includes collecting an anamnesis of human development: the features of his heredity are clarified, and the usual family scenarios are determined. The circumstances of the manifestation of the first signs of the disease are especially carefully examined, and their dynamics are determined. The degree of impairment is determined through parapsychological examination mental processes and character traits.

Nevertheless, the opinion of a psychiatrist becomes decisive in diagnosis. His first task is to establish the endogenous nature of psychosis.

Organic brain diseases can be identified during examination using EEG, CT and MRI. They usually occur after head injuries, encephalopathy, infections and brain tumors, vascular changes in the central nervous system, and alcoholism. Diseases associated with decompensation of the kidneys and liver, poisoning of various nature can also cause delusions and hallucinations, while schizophrenic symptoms occur without any connection with these conditions.

Medical specialists are often asked what the differences are between neurosis and schizophrenia. Despite the fact that these are diametrically opposed conditions, neurotics often tend to look for and find schizophrenic symptoms in themselves. However, there are key differences between neurotic disorders and endogenous diseases.

The main one is self-criticism. If a patient with schizophrenia is inclined to deny the presence of any mental illness, then a neurotic person, on the contrary, insists on medical consultations and examinations on this matter.

Another difference is that a person with neurosis tends to experience constant anxiety about his health - both physical and mental. The schizophrenic also experiences internal anxiety, but he is inclined to explain it in the most fantastic way. For example, he may believe that his stomach upset is due to the fact that computers have been implanted into his body or worms have been planted under his skin, which release toxins and poison his brain.

A patient suffering from neurosis can recover with a sharp change in life circumstances, but it is impossible to achieve remission in schizophrenia without the use of antipsychotics. Since such patients consider themselves healthy and often avoid taking medications, sooner or later psychosis overtakes them again.

It is also necessary to distinguish between schizophrenia and schizotypal disorder - what was previously called sluggish schizophrenia. In fact, it has nothing to do with this disease, although it may vaguely resemble it. The cause of the disorder lies rather in unusual character traits: people susceptible to it are prone to reasoning and unusual ideas. At the same time, they do not have a personality defect or other schizophrenic symptoms, and although they may have difficulty expressing themselves in society, they do not become disabled. Group exercises and therapy are used as therapy for such patients. social adaptation, and medications can only be used occasionally.

Classical and modern approaches to the treatment of schizophrenia

Today, the use of medications is the mainstay in the treatment of schizophrenia. It would be a mistake to hope that it will be possible to cope with the disease only by socio-psychological methods: the manifestations of the disease are too deep and extensive, and its relapses do not depend in any way on external reasons. Therefore, schizophrenia should be treated like any chronic disease that requires lifelong medication correction, for example, asthma or diabetes mellitus. The difficulty is that patients with schizophrenia very rarely recognize the need for treatment, and therefore tend to refuse to take medications. Psychiatrists and pharmacologists, of course, are working to solve this problem. Thus, drugs have already been developed that need to be taken only once a day, as well as long-acting (2-4 weeks) injections. But so far, a single universal remedy that will help all patients without exception has not been found, because the manifestations of schizophrenia are very extensive and heterogeneous.

So, taking antipsychotics is a mandatory condition for the treatment of schizophrenia. The patient himself is not always aware of this, but his relatives should clearly understand this. If you suspect that your medication has been stopped or is being taken irregularly, you should consider visiting a doctor as soon as possible. The disappearance of symptoms should not be taken as a signal to stop treatment; on the contrary, it is important to realize that this is precisely an indicator that the medication is working correctly and you need to continue taking it. But it is necessary to maintain close contact with your doctor in this case: antipsychotics can cause unwanted side effects.

It's called neuroleptic syndrome, and it can be quite dangerous. Therefore, if relatives notice restlessness in the patient, marking time, difficulty walking, rolling of the eyes, involuntary protruding of the tongue, constant drowsiness, this is a signal

that you should immediately consult your doctor, who can prescribe drugs that correct such effects. They do not affect the mental state, but are able to prevent the described disorders. The selection of the dose of the main drug and its corrector is carried out individually, as a rule, in a hospital setting: it takes time for the patient to get used to the drug and minimize side effects.

The very occurrence of a neuroleptic symptom may also require hospitalization, since medication is also necessary to restore impaired functions of the nervous system.

In addition to antipsychotics, from time to time, patients with schizophrenia are also prescribed antidepressants, tranquilizers and other drugs. You need to understand that a person suffers from a chronic disease in which all areas of mental activity are disrupted.

Correctly selected treatment for schizophrenia is very important, but it also has to be changed from time to time. This may be due to both the emergence of drug resistance and changes in the patient’s condition at different stages of the disease.

Neurometabolic therapy for schizophrenia

Neurometabolic therapy is a complex that includes drugs to maintain and restore the biochemistry of the nervous system and physiotherapy. When using this method, B vitamins, amino acids, nootropics and other drugs are used.

Neurometabolic therapy helps not only restore the exhausted nervous system, but also restore sensitivity to the medications used, and also improves memory, attention, increases the patient’s activity and interest in life. It is used once every six months to a year or when the need arises.

IN lately the most progressive clinics began to pay special attention to psychological work with patients, whereas previously there was an opinion that occupational therapy and social assistance were sufficient for patients with schizophrenia. Now, when working with them, special psychotherapeutic programs are used, both group and individual. They are aimed at ensuring that the patient accepts his illness, identifies his weaknesses, learns to distinguish between emotions and formally behave correctly in society. The groups are led by psychotherapists with special training. They select patients for this type of therapy, guided by such criteria as the absence of a pronounced personality defect, early dates diseases, a person’s desire to improve the quality of his life.

Work in a group begins with getting to know each other and recognizing the characteristics of the people participating in it. Next, creative self-expression therapy according to Burno is carried out, and then cognitive behavioral therapy.

It is important to remember that for patients with schizophrenia, techniques that are associated with the expression of an enhanced effect or with a strong immersion in the subconscious are undesirable or even strictly contraindicated: gestalt therapy, holotropic breathing, rebirthing. You also need to be very careful with the techniques of systemic family therapy, Helinger constellations, NLP technician, especially in the acute period of the disease.

Psychiatrists do not ignore additional ways treatment: diet and herbal medicine. Medical nutrition should include a large amount of vitamins and protein foods with high content amino acids. The consumption of refined and canned food should be kept to a minimum, and alcohol and stimulating drinks (tea, coffee) should be completely eliminated.

Herbal medicine can be used as a supportive approach, and sometimes it allows you to avoid increasing doses psychotropic drugs. The patient can drink any sedative mixture, which includes valerian, motherwort, mint, and peony root. It is also useful to consume smoothies made from parsley, nettle, celery and other greens: they are high in vitamin B, which is good for the nervous system.

Prevention of schizophrenia

Unfortunately, the mechanism of occurrence of this disease is still unknown. It is rightfully considered the most mysterious in the history of psychiatry. We see only the consequences of schizophrenia and, although we try to fight it with all our might, we are aware that anyone can get sick.

Today, it is believed that the likelihood of schizophrenia decreases in people over 20–25 years of age and increases in those who have relatives with this diagnosis. Therefore, a particularly attentive approach to such people is recommended, especially in childhood: you should try to avoid severe stress, drinking alcohol and stimulants in general, and if any symptoms appear, contact a specialist.

So, the correction of schizophrenia will be the more successful the sooner a person seeks help and begins to receive complex therapy. At the same time, to establish a diagnosis, a high-quality examination and long-term observation in a hospital are necessary. If any doctor convinces you that he can make a diagnosis after an outpatient consultation, don’t take the risk! Incorrectly selected treatment can seriously harm an already possibly unhealthy person!

The Transfiguration Clinic has been providing high-quality diagnostics, treatment and rehabilitation of people suffering from schizophrenia for many years. Our specialists have extensive experience in therapy and select a treatment regimen strictly individually. In addition, we apply all the latest scientific developments for effective group and individual work with our patients.

Treatment of schizophrenia - 10 modern methods, list of medications and drugs

Principles of treatment of schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a mental disorder (and according to the modern ICD-10 classification, a group of disorders) with a chronic course, provoking the breakdown of emotional reactions and thought processes. It is impossible to cure it completely. However, as a result of long-term therapy, it is possible to restore a person’s social activity and ability to work, prevent psychosis and achieve stable remission.

Treatment of schizophrenia traditionally consists of three stages:

Stopping therapy is therapy aimed at relieving psychosis. The goal of this stage of treatment is to suppress the positive symptoms of schizophrenia - delusions, hebephrenia, catatonia, hallucinations;

Stabilizing therapy is used to maintain the results of relief therapy, its task is to finally remove positive symptoms of all types;

Maintenance therapy is aimed at maintaining a stable state of the patient’s psyche, preventing relapse, and delaying the next psychosis as much as possible.

Stopping therapy should be carried out as early as possible; It is necessary to contact a specialist as soon as the first signs of psychosis appear, since it is much more difficult to stop psychosis that has already developed. In addition, psychosis can cause personality changes that make it impossible for a person to work or perform normal daily activities. To ensure that the changes are less pronounced and the patient remains able to lead a normal lifestyle, it is necessary to stop the attack in a timely manner.

Currently, the following methods of treating schizophrenic conditions have been developed, tested and widely used: psychopharmacology, various types of shock-comatose therapy, high-tech stem cell treatment, traditional psychotherapy, treatment with cytokines and detoxification of the body.

Inpatient treatment is necessary immediately at the time of psychosis, and after the attack has stopped, stabilizing and maintenance therapy can be carried out on an outpatient basis. A patient who has completed a course of treatment and has been in remission for a long time still needs to be examined annually and admitted to hospital treatment in order to correct possible pathological changes.

Actually, it's time for full treatment schizophrenia after another psychosis is from one year or longer. It takes from 4 to 10 weeks to relieve an attack and suppress productive symptoms, after which it takes six months to stabilize the results intensive care inpatient and 5-8 months of outpatient treatment in order to prevent relapse, achieve fairly stable remission and carry out social rehabilitation patient.

Treatment methods for schizophrenia

Treatment methods for schizophrenia are divided into two groups - biological methods and psychosocial therapy:

Psychosocial therapy includes cognitive behavioral therapy, psychotherapy, and family therapy. These techniques, although they do not give instant results, can prolong the period of remission, increase the effectiveness of biological methods, and return a person to normal life in society. Psychosocial therapy allows you to reduce the dosage of medications and the length of hospital stay, makes a person able to independently perform daily tasks and control his condition, which reduces the likelihood of relapse;

Biological methods of treatment - lateral, insulin comatose, pair polarization, electroconvulsive therapy, detoxification, transcranial micropolarization and magnetic brain stimulation, as well as psychopharmacology and surgical methods treatment;

The use of drugs that affect the brain is one of the most effective biological methods of treating schizophrenia, allowing to remove productive symptoms, prevent the destruction of personality, disorders of thinking, will, memory and emotions.

Modern treatment of schizophrenia during an attack

During psychosis or an attack of schizophrenia, all measures must be taken to stop it as quickly as possible. Atypical antipsychotics are classified as neuroleptics. modern drugs, allowing not only to remove productive symptoms (auditory or visual hallucinations and delusions), but also reduce possible disturbances in speech, memory, emotions, will and other mental functions, thereby minimizing the risk of destruction of the patient’s personality.

Medicines in this group are prescribed not only to patients at the stage of psychosis, but are also used to prevent relapses. Atypical antipsychotics are effective when the patient is allergic to other antipsychotics.

The effectiveness of relief therapy depends on the following factors:

Duration of the disease - with a duration of up to three years, the patient has a high chance of successful treatment with a long period of remission. Relief therapy eliminates psychosis, and relapse of the disease with properly carried out stabilizing and anti-relapse treatment may not occur until the end of life. If a patient’s schizophrenia lasts from three to ten years or longer, then the effectiveness of therapy decreases;

Age of the patient – ​​schizophrenia at a later age is easier to treat than adolescent schizophrenia;

Beginning and course psychotic disorder– an acute attack of the disease with a vivid course, which is characterized by strong emotional manifestations, pronounced affects (phobias, manic, depressive, anxiety states) responds well to treatment;

The patient’s personality type – if before the first psychosis the patient had a harmonious and balanced personality type, the chances of successful treatment are greater than for people with infantilism and underdevelopment of the intellect before the onset of schizophrenia;

The reason for the exacerbation of schizophrenia is if the attack was caused by exogenous factors (stress from the loss of loved ones or overstrain at work, while preparing for an exam or competition), then treatment is quick and effective. If an exacerbation of schizophrenia occurred spontaneously for no apparent reason, then stopping the attack is more difficult;

The nature of the disorder - with pronounced negative symptoms of the disease (impaired thinking, emotional perception, volitional qualities, memory and concentration), treatment takes longer, its effectiveness is reduced.

Treatment of psychotic disorder (delusions, hallucinations, illusions and other productive symptoms)

Psychotic disorders are treated with antipsychotic drugs, which are divided into two groups: conventional antipsychotics and more modern atypical antipsychotics. The choice of drug is made on the basis of the clinical picture; conventional antipsychotics are used if atypical antipsychotics are ineffective.

Olanzapine is a potent antipsychotic that can be prescribed to anyone with schizophrenia during an attack.

The activating antipsychotic Risperidone and Amisulpride are prescribed for psychosis, during which crazy ideas and hallucinations alternate with negative symptoms and depression.

Quetiapine is prescribed if a patient during psychosis experiences increased excitability, interrupted speech, delusions and hallucinations with severe psychomotor agitation.

Conventional or classical antipsychotics are prescribed for complex forms of schizophrenia - catatonic, undifferentiated and hebephrenic. They are used to treat prolonged psychoses if treatment with the above atypical antipsychotics has failed.

At paranoid schizophrenia Trisedyl is prescribed.

For the treatment of catatonic and hebephrenic forms, Mazeptil is used

If these drugs turn out to be ineffective, then the patient is prescribed antipsychotics with a selective effect, one of the first drugs in this group is Haloperidol. It removes the productive symptoms of psychosis - delirium, automaticity of movements, psychomotor agitation, verbal hallucinations. However, its side effects include long-term use includes a neurological syndrome, which is manifested by stiffness in the muscles and tremors in the limbs. To prevent these phenomena, doctors prescribe Cyclodol or other corrective drugs.

To treat paranoid schizophrenia, use:

Meterazine – if the attack is accompanied by systematized delirium;

Triftazin – for unsystematized delirium during psychosis;

Moditen - with pronounced negative symptoms with disturbances of speech, mental activity, emotions and will.

Atypical neuroleptics, which combine the properties of atypical and conventional drugs - Piportil and Clozapine.

Treatment with antipsychotics occurs for 4-8 weeks from the onset of the attack, after which the patient is transferred to stabilizing therapy with maintenance doses of the drug, or the drug is changed to another one with a milder effect. Additionally, medications that relieve psychomotor agitation may be prescribed.

Reducing the emotional intensity of experiences associated with delusions and hallucinations

Antipsychotic drugs are given for two to three days after the onset of symptoms, the choice depends on the clinical picture, with the administration of intravenous Diazepam they are combined with:

Quetiapine - prescribed to patients who have pronounced manic agitation;

Klopiksone - prescribed for treatment psychomotor agitation which is accompanied by anger and aggression; can be used to treat alcoholic psychosis, schizophrenia in people in a state of withdrawal after taking alcohol or drugs;

Klopiksone-Acupaz is a long-acting form of the drug, prescribed if the patient is unable to take the medicine regularly.

If the antipsychotics described above are ineffective, the doctor prescribes conventional antipsychotics with a sedative effect. The course of administration is days, this duration is necessary to stabilize the patient’s condition after an attack.

Conventional antipsychotics with sedative effects include:

Aminazine - prescribed for aggressive manifestations and anger during an attack;

Tizercin - if the clinical picture is dominated by anxiety, worry and confusion;

Melperon, Propazine, Chlorprothixene - prescribed to patients over 60 years of age or people with diseases cardiovascular system, kidneys and liver.

Neuroleptic drugs are used to treat psychomotor agitation. To reduce the patient's emotional distress caused by auditory, verbal or visual hallucinations and delirium, antidepressants and mood stabilizers are additionally prescribed. These drugs should continue to be taken as part of maintenance anti-relapse therapy, since they not only alleviate the patient’s subjective state and correct his mental disorders, but also allow him to quickly integrate into normal life.

Treatment of the depressive component in emotional disorders

The depressive component of a psychotic episode is removed with the help of antidepressants.

Among antidepressants for the treatment of the depressive component of schizophrenia, a group of serotonin reuptake inhibitors is distinguished. The most commonly prescribed drugs are Venlafaxine and Ixel. Venlafaxine relieves anxiety, and Ixel successfully copes with the melancholy component of depression. Cipralex combines both of these actions.

Heterocyclic antidepressants are used as second-line drugs when the effectiveness of the above drugs is low. Their effect is more powerful, but patient tolerance is worse. Amitriptyline relieves anxiety, Melipramine removes the melancholy component, and Clomipramine successfully copes with any manifestations of depression.

Treatment of the manic component in emotional disorders

The manic component helps to remove the combination of neuroleptics with mood stabilizers, both during a psychotic episode and subsequently during anti-relapse therapy. The drugs of choice in this case are mood stabilizers Valprocom and Depakin, which quickly and effectively eliminate manic manifestations. If the manic symptom is mild, Lamotrigine is prescribed - it has minimal side effects and is well tolerated by patients.

Lithium salts are most effective in treating the manic component of emotional disorders, but they should be used with caution, since they interact poorly with classical antipsychotics.

Treatment of drug-resistant psychosis

Pharmaceutical drugs are not always effective in treating attacks of schizophrenia. Then they talk about human resistance to drugs, similar to the resistance to antibiotics developed in bacteria under constant influence.

In this case, it remains to resort to intensive methods of influence:

Electroconvulsive therapy is carried out in a short course, simultaneously with taking antipsychotics. To use electroconvulsions, the patient is prescribed general anesthesia, which makes the procedure similar in complexity to surgical operations. Such extreme treatment usually provokes a variety of impairments in cognitive functions: attention, memory, conscious analysis and information processing. These effects are present when using bilateral electroconvulsions, but there is also a unilateral version of the therapy that is more gentle on the nervous system.

Insulin shock therapy is an intense biological effect exerted on the patient’s body by huge doses of insulin, which causes a hypoglycemic coma. Prescribed in the absence of any results from the use of medications. Intolerance to pharmaceuticals is an absolute indication for the use of this method. The so-called insulin comatose therapy, invented back in 1933, is used to this day to treat schizophrenia in episodic or continuous paranoid form. The unfavorable dynamics of the disease is an additional reason for prescribing insulin shock therapy. When sensory delirium becomes interpretive, and anxiety, mania and absent-mindedness are replaced by suspicion and uncontrollable anger, the doctor is inclined to use this method. The procedure is carried out without interrupting the course of antipsychotic drugs.

There are currently three possible ways to use insulin to treat schizophrenia:

Traditional - subcutaneous administration of the active substance, carried out in a course with regular (most often daily) increasing doses until a coma is provoked. The effectiveness of this approach is the highest;

Forced - insulin is administered through a dropper to achieve the maximum concentration in one daily infusion. This method of inducing a hypoglycemic coma allows the body to endure the procedure with the least harmful consequences;

Potentiated - involves carrying out insulin comatose therapy against the background of lateral physiotherapy, which is carried out by stimulating the skin with electricity in those places where the nerves pass to the cerebral hemispheres. Insulin administration is possible in both the first and second ways. Thanks to physiotherapy, it is possible to shorten the course of treatment and focus the effect of the procedure on the manifestations of hallucinations and delusions.

Craniocerebral hypothermia – specific method, which is used in toxicology and narcology primarily to relieve severe forms of withdrawal symptoms. The procedure involves gradually reducing brain temperature to form neuroprotection in nerve cells. There is evidence of the effectiveness of the method in the treatment of catatonic forms of schizophrenia. It is especially recommended due to the occasional resistance of this type of pathology to medications.

Lateral therapy is a method of harsh relief of agitations of a psychomotor, hallucinogenic, manic and depressive nature. It consists of conducting electroanalgesia of a specific area of ​​the cerebral cortex. Exposure to electricity “reboots” neurons, similar to how a computer turns on after a power failure. Thus, previously formed pathological connections are broken, due to which the therapeutic effect is achieved.

Detoxification is a fairly rare decision taken to compensate for the side effects of taking heavy drugs such as antipsychotics. Most often used for complications due to taking antipsychotics, allergies to similar medications, resistance or poor sensitivity to drugs. Detoxification consists of a hemosorption procedure.

Sorption is carried out by activated carbon or ion exchange resins that can specifically absorb and neutralize chemical components remaining in the blood after taking heavy medications. Hemosorption is carried out in several stages, due to which sensitivity to drugs prescribed after this procedure increases.

If there is a prolonged course of psychosis or extrapyramidal disorders, such as incoordination and parkinsonism, resulting from long-term courses of taking conventional antipsychotics, plasmapheresis is prescribed (blood sampling followed by removal of its liquid part - plasma containing harmful toxins and metabolites). As during hemosorption, any previously prescribed pharmaceuticals are canceled so that after plasmapheresis a softer course can be started again with a lower dosage or a radical change in the medications used.

Stabilizing treatment for schizophrenia

It is necessary to stabilize the patient’s condition within 3 to 9 months from the moment complete healing from attacks of schizophrenia. First of all, during the stabilization of the patient, it is necessary to achieve the cessation of hallucinations, delusions, manic and depressive symptoms. In addition, during the treatment process it is necessary to restore the patient's full functionality, close to his state before the attack.

Stabilizing treatment is completed only when remission is achieved, followed by maintenance therapy against relapses.

The drugs of choice are mainly Amisulpride, Quetiapine and Risperidone. They are used in low dosages for the gentle correction of symptoms of schizophrenia such as apathy, anhedonia, speech disorders, lack of motivation and will.

Other drugs have to be used if a person cannot constantly take antipsychotics on his own, and his family cannot control this. Long-acting medications can be taken once a week, these include Clopixol-Depot, Rispolept-Consta and Fluanxol-Depot.

For neurosis-like symptoms, including phobias and increased anxiety, take Fluanxol-Depot, while with increased sensitivity, irritability and manic symptoms, Klopixol-Depot helps well. Rispolept-Konsta can remove residual hallucinations and delusions.

Conventional antipsychotics are prescribed as a last resort if all of the above drugs do not cope with the task.

In stabilizing treatment the following is used:

Haloperidol is used if the attack is poorly and not completely stopped; the drug removes residual psychotic effects to increase the stability of remission. Haloperidol is prescribed with caution, as it can provoke extrapyramidal disorders and neurological syndrome. Be sure to combine with corrective drugs;

Triftazin – used to treat episodic paranoid schizophrenia;

Moditen-Depot – removes residual hallucinatory symptoms;

Piportil - used to treat paranoid or catatonic schizophrenia.

Maintenance (anti-relapse) treatment of schizophrenia

Maintenance treatment is necessary to prevent relapse of the disease. Under a good combination of various circumstances, thanks to this type of therapy, there is a significant prolongation of remission and partial or even complete restoration of the patient’s social functions. Drugs prescribed during anti-relapse treatment can correct disorders of memory, will, too strong emotional sensitivity and thought processes that are caused by a state of psychotic disorder.

The course of treatment is usually two years if the psychotic episode occurs for the first time. After its repetition, anti-relapse therapy should last at least five years. It’s rare, but it gets to the point where psychosis happens a third time. In this case, treatment must be continued until the end of life, otherwise relapse is inevitable.

The list of medications used for maintenance therapy includes the same antipsychotics as for the treatment of seizures, but in a much lower dosage - no more than a third of the amount required for the traditional relief of psychosis.

Non-drug treatment with drugs

Among the most effective drugs Maintenance anti-relapse therapy includes Risperidone, Quetiapine, Amisulpride and other atypical antipsychotics. If individual sensitivity to active substances decreases, Sertindole may be prescribed in addition to the above medications.

When even atypical antipsychotics do not bring the desired effect, and it is not possible to stabilize the patient’s condition with prolongation of remission, conventional antipsychotic medications are used: Piportil, Moditen-Depot, Haloperidol, Triftazin.

Long-acting (depot) forms of medications may be prescribed if the patient is unable to take medications regularly and his caregivers cannot control this. Deposition of Fluanxol-Depot, Klopixol-Depot and Rispolept-Konsta is carried out by intramuscular or subcutaneous administration once a week.

Another group of pharmaceuticals used in anti-relapse therapy are mood stabilizers, which demonstrate fairly high effectiveness in the treatment of low-grade schizophrenia. For cognitive disorders such as panic attacks And depressive states, Valprok and Depakin are prescribed. Lithium salts and Lamotrigine help relieve passive disorders - anxiety and sad mood, and Carbamazepine is indicated for patients with a tendency to irritable behavior and aggression.

Non-drug methods of anti-relapse therapy

Lateral physiotherapy is used to enhance effectiveness drug treatment. The method is electrical influence on areas of the skin, regulated by the right or left hemisphere of the brain.

Lateral phototherapy is successfully used to treat a wide variety of phobias, increased or decreased sensitivity, anxiety, paranoia and other symptoms of neurosis. During the phototherapy procedure, the right and left parts of the retina of the eye are alternately exposed to light pulses, the frequency of which determines the stimulating or calming effect.

Intravascular laser irradiation – blood purification using a special laser device. It can increase sensitivity to medications, which reduces their required dosage and minimizes side effects.

Pair polarization therapy is a procedure for correcting disturbances in the emotional sphere by applying electricity to the surface of the cerebral cortex.

Transcranial micropolarization is a method of selectively influencing brain structures through an electric field, which makes it possible to remove hallucinations and residual effects at the stage of remission.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation - this type of impact on brain structures can relieve depression; in this case, the effect on the brain occurs through a constant magnetic field;

Enterosorption. Like intravascular laser irradiation, this type of exposure is aimed at increasing the body’s sensitivity to drugs in order to reduce their dose required to achieve therapeutic effect. It is a course of sorbent drugs taken orally, including activated carbon, Enterosgel, Filtrum, Polyphepan, Smecta. Sorbents are used due to their ability to bind various toxins to remove them from the body organically.

Immunomodulators - have a complex effect on the body, allowing not only to improve the effectiveness of the immune system, which helps a person regenerate after damage caused by an attack, but also to increase sensitivity to antipsychotic medications.

In complex therapy, various immunomodulatory agents are used: