Treatment for schizophrenia

- Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterised by a profound disruption of a persons language and cognition

- Schizophrenia can highly interfere with a persons life, putting pressure for treatments to be fast, effective and consistent

- Developed from the report that epileptics rarely suffer from schizo - seizures = cure of schizo

- In ECT an electric current is passed through two scalp electrodes, a barbiturate is given to make the unconscious and a nerve blocking agent to prevent fractures 

- A seizure is produced lasting around a minute that effects the entire brain

- Highly controversial as no-one knows how it works, Heather (1976) said it's like kicking a TV box because its not working 

- Sarita et al (1998) found no difference in symptom reduction in 36 patients either having a placebo or ECT 

- The BPS called for ECT only to be used in extreme cases with the patients fully informed consent 

- The major side effect is memory loss 1 in 3 patients complain of it , it is cumulative so treatment can stop at anytime

- However it is very random, may be severe or not, may or may not even happen 

- Most common used treatment

- Basic assumption is that people have distorted beliefs that lead to maladaptive behaviour 

- For example a schizophrenic may believe that they are being controlled by something or someone else but CBT is used to identify and correct these faulty interpretations

-During CBT the therapist lest the pateint make alternaltive explantions and coping strategies

-Patients are encouraged to find the origin of their behaviour

- For example, if  a schizophrenia hear voices and believe their demons they are naturally afraid but offering a range of explanation may reduce this anxiety

- Patients are also encouraged to test the validity of things such as delusions 

- Behaviour assignment can be set to improve there general level of functioning 

- CBT cannot completely eliminate the symptoms but it make the patient more able to cope

- It is hard to measure the effectiveness of CBT alone as most of the time it is done along side anti-psychotic medication

- mediacation can allow access to the benefits of CBT

- Requires social skills that schizo lack

- Kulpers et al noted fewer patient drop out and higher patient satisfaction

-Patients may become dependent on there therapist