Treatment and therapy

Once the diagnosis of schizophrenic psychosis is confirmed, treatment should be started as soon as possible. In this process, supportive measures as well as medication are used. Pharmacologically, antipsychotics are given.

Here there are the typical and atypical antipsychotics, which differ only slightly from their site of action. As a rule, attempts are made to use atypical antipsychotics such as Quetiapine, Olanzapine or Risperidone. If this does not help, clozapine can also be tried.

Clozapine is a very effective drug, but in 1% of cases it can severely impair the immune system, so that close blood checks must be carried out. The typical antipsychotics are used less frequently nowadays and drugs like Haloperidol are only used in acute treatment. Due to their soporific and sedative effect, low-dose medications can also be used against restlessness, anxiety or insomnia.

Alternatively, benzodiazepines such as lorazepam can be used, which can also help to relieve anxiety. Since depressive symptoms are often accompanied by psychotic symptoms, antidepressants are used to stop depression. In addition to drug therapy, other measures also play an important role.

In psychoeducation, the patient is educated about his or her illness and is supposed to become an expert on the illness himself or herself. With a better understanding, behavioral patterns can be adapted or early symptoms can be better recognized early on before the next acute psychosis. Behavioral therapy or family therapy as well as professional reintegration can help to cope better with the disease and to reduce the risk of relapse.

Forms of schizophrenic psychosis

There are different subforms of how a schizophrenic psychosis can proceed. The most common is paranoid schizophrenia, which is why most people experience the typical symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia, such as delusions or hallucinations, when thinking about schizophrenia. Hallucinations are less common in hebephrenic schizophrenia.

Here, inappropriate emotions and utterances as well as silly behavior are in the foreground. Most of the time, these are artists or very spiritual people who are very much involved with religion or philosophy. Often these topics are also part of the psychosis.

Another form is the catatonic schizophrenia, where either excessive or decreased psychomotor skills are present. This means that those affected have a speech impoverishment or reduced mobility, in the worst case they remain completely silent or rigid for a while. However, mannerisms, i.e. unnatural movements such as constant facial twitches, are frequently encountered.

But the opposite can also be the case with catatonic schizophrenia. This can lead to aggressive or uncontrolled movements. Sometimes movement stereotypes exist, which means that movements are repeated senselessly over and over again.