Schizoaffective Disorder Research Paper

Individuals who suffer with mental illnesses are more likely to abuse drugs. According to the National Bureau of Economic Research there is a “Definite connection between mental illness and the use of addictive substances.” Alone people who are afflicted with some sort of mental illness, are thought to consume 38 percent of all alcohol, 44 percent of all cocaine, and 40 percent of cigarettes. There are many reasons and theory's to why this trend occurs. Depending on the case, the involvement of drugs can cause mental illness. Drugs such as meth, cocaine, and heroine, can change the way a brain works. The use of these drugs, and others can cause a multitude of different mental illness's, ranging from depression or anxiety, all the way to schizophrenia and cognitive impairment. In other circumstances, an individual may turn to drugs to help them manage their symptoms. Another reason is that mental illness, and addiction are caused

Separately, substance abuse and bipolar disorder are two very serious conditions, and both have been proven to be caused in part by heredity. Shockingly, co-occurrence of both disorders in a single person is a very common combination, and it can be very dangerous. People who have both bipolar disorder and an addiction are understood to have a “dual-diagnosis” or “genetic overlap”. Often, each condition can worsen the symptoms of the other; having both problems increases the risk of mood swings, depression, suicide, and other violent behavior. Studies are still being done to determine the linkage between these two genetic ailments, but it is obvious that there has to be some relationship.

What is Dual Diagnosis? Research has come close to answering what is dual diagnosis and how it pertains to individuals experiencing both substance abuse/dependence and severe and persistent mental illnesses (Drake, 2007). One significant aspect of dual diagnosis before examining it more closely is that on the information that we already know that pertains to dual diagnosis (Drake, 2007). After we can gather the general knowledge and the current information of dual diagnosis the next significant aspect is how we can approach dual diagnosis when it relates to individuals (Drake, 2007). Lastly as soon as we can develop an approach to helping individuals the next step is to create testing when research is done on dual diagnosis to

The introduction of Clozapine, marked a turning point in the treatment of schizophrenia, as the first "atypical" antipsychotic drug lacking the propensity to produce ‘extra-pyramidal symptoms’ (associated with the older antipsychotic agents) (Kane et al. 1988). Even though, Clozapine has not conclusively demonstrated its significantly superior record or efficacy for psychosis (Gardner et al. 2005), it has proven exceptional effectiveness, compared to other more traditional antipsychotics (Claghorn et al. 1987). However, Kane et al. (1988) and others have concluded, 30–60% of all schizophrenic patients who fail to respond to typical antipsychotics may respond therapeutically/effectively to Clozapine (Breier et al. (1994) & Iqbal et al. (2003)). This is especially apparent for refractory schizophrenia (Kane et al. 1988), treatment-resistant schizoaffective disorders (Zarate et al. 1995) and aggression (Cohen & Underwood, 1994).

Treatment will often include antipsychotics for the illness itself, anticholinergic drugs to help treat extrapyramidal symptoms (movement disorders), that are caused by antipsychotics, and in some cases cognitive remediation. Cognitive remediation techniques are time and labor intensive, because cognitive deficits are multiple and vary from person to person. Such techniques seem to work best when specifically tailored to each patient. ("Schizophrenia Treatment & Management: Approach Considerations, Antipsychotic Pharmacotherapy, Other Pharmacotherapy," 2018). When combined with drug therapies, cognitive remediation is successful. Drugs included in therapy are Risperidone, Clozapine, and Olanzapine, which produce their effects with reduced incidence of extrapyramidal symptoms. Clozapine has the adverse effect of dangerously depressing bone marrow function and the patient must have their blood count checked on a biweekly basis, if white blood cells drop too low, it is discontinued. (Timby & Smith, 2014) Other antipsychotics include Haloperidol, Fluphenazine, Risperidone, and Olanazapine, all of which block dopamine receptors. Common anticholinergic drugs are trihexyphenidyl and benztropine. These drugs should all be taken as prescribed and should never be stopped abruptly due to withdrawal symptoms or more severe adverse

According to Dr. Nora D. Volkow in a Letter from the Director. She describes drug addiction as follows. “Drug addiction is a brain disease characterized by compulsive, at times uncontrollable drug craving, seeking, and use despite devastating consequences – behaviors that stem from drug induced changes in brain structure and function. These changes occur in some of the same brain areas that are disrupted in various other mental disorders”. This explanation implies that the drug addiction is something that cannot be helped. Some factors related to co-occurrence are genetic, brain chemistry, environmental and

Researchers proved that medication has been the most effective treatment tool. Antipsychotic medication changes how chemicals are balanced in the brain and help control some symptoms. Although, schizophrenia is a lifetime disease that will require a lifetime treatment and medication all treatment for schizophrenia is pharmaceutical and the most common and effective form of treatment for schizophrenia is antipsychotic medication along with support groups, family therapy,

Many people who suffered from long-term addiction also have suffer from a form of psychological distress that helps create a never-ending feedback loop of addiction. Executive drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers utilize a “dual diagnosis” process, which identifies and treats the physical causes of addiction as well as the mental. Conditions as diverse as depression, bipolar personality disorder, and even obsessive compulsive mindsets can be diagnosed and

Patients with schizophrenia can engage in conversation with their Mental Healthcare Professional on the benefits of CBT. Cognitive behavioral therapy will provide treatment plans that will enable the patient to live a successful productive life. According to Society of Clinical Psychology, providing the patient with collaborative therapeutic relations, a general understanding of their issues are just a few treatment options that are apart of the Cognitive behavioral therapy. It’s imperative that patients who have schizophrenia learn to live with or manage their symptoms and CBT will create goal setting strategies, offer ways to live among society, and coping skills

“Treatment has been revealed to be effective in minimizing the symptoms and in helping the person better cope with the disorder and improve social functioning” (Yogewary, 2014). Treatment for schizoaffective disorder can be categorized as pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic. It is shown that 87 percent of those treated for schizoaffective disorder use a combination of pharmacologic agents. Such agents include antipsychotics, antidepressants and mood stabilizers. In fact, 93 percent of those diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder receive antipsychotics (Buckley, Cascade, Kalali, 2009). “Antipsychotic medications are an effective treatment for schizoaffective disorder for most, but not all, persons with this disorder. These drugs are not a “cure” for the disorder, but they can reduce symptoms and prevent relapses among the majority of people with the disorder” (“Facts About Schizoaffective”, n.d.). Lithium, a major mood stabilizer, is an important treatment. It can not only treat mania, but also prevent manic and depressive

Clearly, this is a very serious disorder, which is often utterly incapacitating. Therefore, individuals urgently require efficacious treatment, both for survival and for quality of life, and many different kinds of treatment and therapy are used. This paper will examine the use of two of these, cognitive behavioral therapy and drug therapy, and evaluate which one is better. It will take the position that drug therapy is a more effective therapy for treating schizophrenia than is cognitive behavioral therapy.

Schizoaffective disorder is a disorder that is exhibited similarly to schizophrenia and affective disorders. Schizoaffective disorder characteristics consist of both auditory and visual hallucinations, delusions, mania, and depression. According to Pagel, Baldessarini, Franklin, and Baethge (2014), “This seems all the more plausible because SAD (schizoaffective disorder), by definition, is characterized by criteria of two disorders (p.239).” Many people have difficulty understanding the differences between schizoaffective disorder and schizophrenia, and the difference simply is that schizoaffective disorder also exhibits the symptoms of an affective disorder, along with hallucinations. Affective disorders consist of anxiety, depression and bipolar disorder. The affective disorder that will be exhibited with schizoaffective disorder is either bipolar disorder or major depressive disorder. The bipolar type of schizoaffective disorder will exhibit episodes of hypomania and mania, whereas the major depressive disorder type will exhibit only depression. Other symptoms that can occur with schizoaffective disorder are paranoia, impaired socialization skills, lack of proper hygiene, and inability to perform ADL’s properly. There can be many contributing causes of schizoaffective disorder such as, genetics,

Schizoaffective disorder is a disorder that is exhibited similarly to schizophrenia and mood disorders. Schizoaffective disorders characteristics consist of both auditory and visual hallucinations, delusions, mania, and depression. According to Pagel, “This seems all the more plausible because SAD (schizoaffective disorder), by definition, is characterized by criteria of two disorders (Pagel, 2014, p.239).” Many people have difficulty understanding the differences between schizoaffective disorder and schizophrenia, and the difference simply is that schizoaffective disorder also exhibits the symptoms of an affective disorder, along with hallucinations. Affective disorders consist of anxiety, depression and bipolar disorder. The affective disorder that will be exhibited with schizoaffective disorder is either bipolar disorder or major depressive disorder. The bipolar type of schizoaffective disorder will exhibit episodes of hypomania and mania, whereas the major depressive disorder type will exhibit only depression. Other symptoms that can occur with schizoaffective disorder are paranoia, impaired socialization skills, lack of proper hygiene, and inability to perform ADL’s properly. There can be many contributing causes of schizoaffective disorder such as, genetics, substance abuse, brain chemistry, and stress. Schizoaffective disorder can be related to brain chemistry, by chemical and hormone imbalances, delayed development, and exposure

Other interventions and treatments that may be introduced once the individual is stable enough on medication to be receptive and benefit from these treatments include: individual therapy, group counseling, family counseling, vocational rehabilitation/training, social skills training, and daily living skills training. It is also important to provide the family with support, education, and the proper intervention skills, to assist them with coping with the difficulties that come with having a family member diagnosed with schizophrenia (Preston, O'Neal & Talaga, 2010).

This then results in lack of control when the same outcome can no longer be established. This leads to increasing dosage or behavior to try and achieve the same high or to possibly better it. Substance addictions leave the body constantly craving a good feeling despite the consequences they may have. In order to understand the real mentality of someone with addiction/s is to examine a person in a philosophical and psychological way.