Paranoid schizophrenia: what it is, symptoms, causes, risks and treatment

The relationship with people who may have difficulties establishing social ties in the development of daily life can be a complex task. In this sense, the analysis of mental pathologies requires a seriousness and responsibility that compromises the human being. For a long time, research has been carried out that aimed to provide answers to the questions that arose in these areas. Having data available can help you understand disorders such as paranoid schizophrenia in greater detail.

If you want to know more about this, in this Psychology-Online article we will talk about the Paranoid schizophrenia: what it is, symptoms, causes, risks and treatment.

Index

1. What is paranoid schizophrenia
2. Symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia
3. Causes of paranoid schizophrenia
4. Paranoid Schizophrenia Risks
5. Treatment of paranoid schizophrenia

Paranoid schizophrenia is a personality disorder which is characterized by

In turn, this disorder is a combination of aspects from schizophrenia such as hallucinations and features of paranoia such as delusions. According to the DSM-V, it is possible to place paranoid schizophrenia within the group of schizoaffective disorders due to the qualities it presents. Next, we will present the main diagnostic criteria of paranoid schizophrenia:

• Presence of delusional ideas for at least two weeks.
• Appearance of some depressive episode during life.
• hallucinations.
• disorganized speech.
• Altered mood not linked to the intake of toxic substances and/or medications.

In the presence of this disease, it is important to know how it affects both a physical, emotional and behavioral level. For this reason, we are going to show you the main symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia:

• Delusional ideas.
• Visual, auditory, olfactory and/or bodily hallucinations.
• Presence of certainty that other people perform actions to the detriment of the person.
• disorganized language.
• Lack of coherence in ideas.
• Distrust towards others.
• Retreat.

Beyond these qualities, it is important not performing a self-diagnosis to prevent confusions. In the presence of any of these symptoms, you should see a mental health professional. specialist to determine the severity of the condition and to suggest what are the treatment guidelines in each case.

In order to more accurately determine the intensity of this clinical picture, it is important to address the most frequent causes of paranoid schizophrenia. Next, we will emphasize the most important ones;

• Genetic factors: hallucinations are the result of alterations in the person's perception that may come from a genetic history of relatives with the same diagnosis. Furthermore, paranoid schizophrenia may also be related to complications during the period of the gestation and/or pregnancy of each person and that, subsequently, have caused distortions of the reality.
• Environmental factors: past experiences can act as triggers for the symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia. By way of example, it can be said that an upbringing based on mistrust, delusions and inconsistencies in language can trigger this disease, as well as the consumption of toxic substances.

Given the severity of the symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia, it is necessary to understand the risks associated with this illness. Knowing this information will allow you to have more tools when intervening in situations related to this disorder. Specifically, the risks associated with paranoid schizophrenia are:

• Damages to third parties and to oneself: On some occasions, people with paranoid schizophrenia may have intentions to physically harm other individuals, or even themselves. As a defense, they seek to vindicate themselves through violence. In these situations, it is convenient to go to health centers or specialized entities.
• Consumption of toxic substances: alterations in reality may be induced by drug intake. For this reason, the intake of toxic substances increases the risk of experiencing the symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia. Do not miss this article if you are interested in knowing what are the effects of drugs on the nervous system.

There are different clinical approaches to paranoid schizophrenia disorder. The most important are the following:

• psychological therapy: Psychological treatments allow strategies to be developed so that the person's relationship with their environment is more enjoyable. In global terms, the goal of therapy is for the individual to have a space for emotional containment and support in their day to day.
• pharmacological medication: During the course of the disease, it is common to prescribe antipsychotics to reduce the intensity of the characteristic symptoms of this clinical picture. Drugs allow the development of daily life to be more enjoyable.

This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to Paranoid schizophrenia: what it is, symptoms, causes, risks and treatment, we recommend that you enter our category of Clinical psychology.

1. American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.). Arlington: Panamerican Medical Editorial.

• Vecino Madruga, L., Estupiñan Rodríguez, N., Rodríguez Hernández, E., Gallardo Sarmiento, A. (2018). Paranoid schizophrenia and forensic psychiatric expertise. Presentation of a case. Forensic Medicine Notebooks, 24 (1-2), 39-42.
• Velazco Fajardo, Y., Quintana Rodríguez, I., De la Caridad Fernández Romero, M., Alfonso Fernández, A., Zamora Lombardía, E. (2018). Paranoid schizophrenia. An approach to his study about a case. Electron Medical Journal, 40 (4), 1163-1171.