Frequency and duration of schizophrenic relapses
The frequency and duration of an acute schizophrenic episode vary greatly. If the episode begins highly acutely and is the first of its kind, it can be treated well with medication and will subside completely after a few weeks. Then the chances are good that no further symptoms occur.
Patients with more frequent relapses, which tend to start gradually, often have to be treated for months and have a high risk of suffering another relapse. The worst prognosis is for patients with strongly negative symptoms, as these symptoms often persist even with medication. The duration of a schizophrenic phase depends strongly on the patient, his previous course of illness and the therapy.
If medication is taken and it is the first relapse, the symptoms can usually be controlled within a few weeks and relapses avoided. If the patient has been suffering from schizophrenia for a long time and possibly takes no or only irregular medication, the psychosis can take on its full form and persist for months to years. In some patients, the acute relapse even turns into chronic schizophrenia, which does not completely recover and some symptoms persist.
Causes of schizophrenia
Why a person becomes schizophrenic is still not exactly clear. It is known that the genes must have a major influence on the development of the disease, since many patients have relatives with the same diagnosis. Studies have shown that the risk of developing the disease increases 5 to 15 times when a first-degree relative suffers from schizophrenia.
It is therefore assumed that genetic factors play the most important role. Among other things, the causative genes regulate the metabolism of various messenger substances in the brain, above all dopamine. For this reason, an imbalance of these signal substances is believed to be responsible for many symptoms of schizophrenia and antipsychotic drugs with an effect on the dopamine receptors are used.Independently of this, however, brain damage or disturbed brain development have also been proven to be contributory causes in many patients. However, since not everyone with such risk factors becomes schizophrenic, it is assumed that other circumstances, e.g. the environment, must also play a role. If a certain genetic and biological disposition is present, factors such as stress or drug abuse could trigger the symptoms.
