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Schizophrenia And Modern Treatments.

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Schizophrenia and Modern Treatments
Shelby Kaseman
University of Toledo

Mental illnesses are becoming more and more prominent in the lives of people today. The most common of these illnesses are mood disorders such as depression or bipolar disorder. However, schizophrenia, which is not a mood disorder, affects the lives of many people as well. Treatment is a very important part of any illness, but this is especially true when it comes to schizophrenia. Without the proper treatment, people dealing with schizophrenia can have an exceptionally hard time functioning on a daily basis and in the community. Over the past few decades, many different options have been developed to help those who suffer from schizophrenia. These treatments combat the symptoms that patients with schizophrenia deal with. Medication is the foundation on which treatment of schizophrenia is based. Oftentimes, medication is combined with one or several types of psychotherapy to help the patient deal with their illness the best that they can. Antipsychotics are the most common and most effective type of medication used to treat schizophrenic patients. They are “effective in suppressing specific positive symptoms of psychosis such as hallucinations, delusions, and thought disturbance” which is why they are the most popular type of medication for schizophrenic patients (Shean, p.140). The main goal of antipsychotics is to effectively control symptoms at the lowest dosage possible. This type of medication

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