Esquizofrenia En Ingles

Esquizofrenia

Schizophrenia (/ˌskɪtsɵˈfrɛniə/ or /ˌskɪtsɵˈfriːniə/) is a mental disorder characterized by a breakdown of thought processes and by poor emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social or occupational dysfunction. The onset of symptoms typically occurs in young adulthood, with a global lifetime prevalenceof about 0.3–0.7%. Diagnosis is based on observed behavior and the patient's reported experiences.

Symptoms

A person diagnosed with schizophrenia may experience hallucinations (most reported are hearing voices), delusions (often bizarre or persecutory in nature), and disorganized thinking and speech. The latter may range from loss of train of thought, to sentences only loosely connected in meaning, to incoherence known as word salad in severe cases. Social withdrawal, sloppiness of dress and hygiene, and loss of motivation and judgment are all common in schizophrenia. There is often an observable pattern of emotional difficulty, for example lack of responsiveness. Impairment in social cognition is associated with schizophrenia, as are symptoms of paranoia; social isolation commonly occurs. Difficulties in working and long-term memory, attention, executive functioning, and speed of processing also commonly occur. In one uncommon subtype, the person may be largely mute, remain motionless in bizarre postures, or exhibit purposeless agitation, all signs ofcatatonia.

Late adolescence and early adulthood are peak periods for the onset of schizophrenia, critical years in a young adult's social and vocational development. In 40% of men and 23% of women diagnosed with schizophrenia, the condition manifested itself before the age of 19. To minimize the developmental disruption associated with schizophrenia, much work has recently been done to identify and treat the prodromal (pre-onset) phase of the illness, which has been detected up to 30 months before the onset of symptoms. Those who go on to develop schizophrenia may experience transient or self-limiting psychotic symptoms and the non-specific symptoms of social withdrawal, irritability, dysphoria, and clumsiness during the prodromal phase.

Causes

A combination of genetic and environmental factors play a role in the development of schizophrenia. People with a family history of schizophrenia who suffer a transient or self-limiting psychosis have a 20–40% chance of being diagnosed one year later.

Prevention

Currently the evidence for the effectiveness of early interventions to prevent schizophrenia is inconclusive. While there is some evidence that early intervention in those with a psychotic episode may improve short term outcomes, there is little benefit from these measures after five years. Attempting to prevent schizophrenia in the prodrome phase is of uncertain benefit and therefore as of 2009 is not recommended. Prevention is difficult as there are no reliable markers for the later development of the disease. However, some cases of schizophrenia could be delayed or possibly prevented by discouraging cannabis use, particularly among youths. Individuals with a family history of schizophrenia may be more vulnerable to cannabis induced psychosis. And, one study found that cannabis induced psychotic disorders are followed by development of persistent psychotic conditions in approximately half of the cases.

Theoretical research continues into strategies that might lower the incidence of schizophrenia. One approach seeks to understand what happens on a genetic and neurological level to account for the illness, so that biomedical interventions can be developed. However, multiple and varied genetic effects each of small size, interacting with the environment, makes this difficult. Alternatively, public health strategies

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