Dr. B here Demystifying the DSM and we are in the series on psychotic disorders. I don't want to lose some of my followers. Psychotic disorders are our least common diagnosed mental health concern. However, they are the most catastrophic and life changing as far as function and that really brings me to the diagnosis of schizophrenia. When somebody is diagnosed with schizophrenia, they have had psychotic symptoms for longer than six months and actively in a 30-day period. The main criteria are that they must have at least two symptoms over that period of time, and one of those must be a positive symptom. We separate psychotic symptoms into two categories, positive symptoms and negative symptoms. Positive symptoms, and this is politically incorrect, but this means you are positively psychotic, right? This is delusions hallucinations, disorganized speech and the negative symptoms are things like grossly disorganized or just negative symptoms of things that you might also see in depression like not taking care of themselves not being able to function. Those kinds of things. Not taking a shower, you can see all of those You can see negative symptoms in other disorders, but positive symptoms are just in psychotic disorders, so you must have at least two psychotic symptoms over that period of time with a significant impairment in function. Some of those functional things are work, interpersonal relationships, self-care. So, schizophrenia is not taken lightly. When someone is diagnosed with schizophrenia, we are saying that this is a chronic lifetime condition that we really need you to be on medication for. 

Schizophrenia is also a very hard thing to treat. If you know someone with schizophrenia medication compliance is the number one thing that the support person in their life can be doing. It's because the likelihood of having another major psychotic break if you come off the meds is very high. 

How do we treat that here and Mentally STRONG? Medication management. If it's truly schizophrenia, there is not wiggle room to say they don't need medication. Here at Mentally STRONG we strongly encourage compliance with an antipsychotic medication. Antipsychotics are a big class we use them in bipolar and sometimes as an adjunct in depression, but they are the very specific treatment for schizophrenia and that's what we're going to recommend. 

Schizophrenia does not have to be a progressive disorder. This is where it's very important. If you are the support person for someone with schizophrenia, it does not have to be a progressive disorder. But oftentimes it is because people come off their medication, they have another psychotic break and with each psychotic break it becomes more difficult to get them back to what we call their previous level of function, right? 

Again, the biggest thing for someone who is a support person or someone with schizophrenia is medication compliance. And getting them to a practitioner, a specialist that knows how to treat specifically those psychotic symptoms. So, it's not necessarily a counselor, it needs to be someone who can prescribe medications.  
--
Dr. Cristi Bundukamara, Ed.D, PMHNP-BC --- A Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and a Doctor of Healthcare Education has experienced unimaginable trials that have caused many feelings such as depression, anxiety, anger, & overwhelming stress. 
However, she has developed a new pathway to becoming Mentally Strong & Choosing to be Happy.  With purpose, Dr. B has developed the phases that were refined within the Mentally STRONG Method that she created and wants to share with you.

https://www.facebook.com/Mentallystronginc
https://www.mentallystrong.com
mentally_strong_
@MentallySTRONG4
https://www.youtube.com/c/drbmentallystrong
https://www.linkedin.com/company/mentallystrong