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Schizophrenia
Science in Africa takes a look into one of the most misunderstood of
illnesses, schizophrenia. Find out for yourself. One in a hundred people
are affected.
To many schizophrenia is a grey zone of misunderstanding and misconception, and yet 1 percent of the world's population is afflicted. For
Africa, that means between 9 and 10 million people.
Schizophrenia is not a psychological problem; it is a severe psychiatric illness. The disease manifests itself in later life often in the 18 to 21 year age group, affecting the way sufferers feel, act, think, move and speak, affecting their initiative, their working and social lives. Because of the lack of knowledge about schizophrenia, the illness often goes undiagnosed and everyone from sufferer to family to friends to colleagues suffer under society's confusion and misunderstanding.
Nobody knows for certain what causes schizophrenia. Research points to a biochemical imbalance in one of the neurotransmitters, dopamine. Dopamine imbalances are implicated in many neurological disorders. In Schizophrenia, there is an over-production of dopamine, while in Parkinson's disease there is an under-production of dopamine. There also appears to be some evidence that suggests that the disease is hereditary but this does not hold true in all cases. Physical injury to the foetus during pregnancy, or trauma during birth has also been implicated as one of the possible causes of schizophrenia. There are many questions to be answered. Fortunately, research into schizophrenia has been boosted in the last decade with neurochemical and psychopharmacological research, aided by the availability of tools such as neuroimaging.
While scientists explore the causes, what hope is there for people with schizophrenia to lead a normal life? A range of drugs called Dopamine antagonists have been used as an effective treatment, targeting a section of the brain known as the meso-limbic system. These drugs target the D2 receptors in the brain interfering with the uptake of dopamine. Unfortunately, while this method of treatment removes many of the symptoms, these drugs produce harsh side effects which dulls the patient and brings about movement disorders. These drugs have been on the market for fifty years.
Now, new drugs, the atypical anti-pscyhotics
are proving much more effective. The atypical anti-psychotic drugs target
another set of receptors in the brain, the serotinergic receptors, in addition
to the dopamine receptors. They are
proving to be well-tolerated by patients with far
fewer of the harmful side effects of the previous range of drugs. The down-side
to the use of these drugs is that they are very expensive.
With treatment it is possible for people with schizophrenia to lead a much improved life. The most important step is recognising the symptoms and seeking help. According to Professor Emsley, Head of the Department of Psychiatry, University of Stellenbosch, people often only seek help when sufferers become disruptive. Now, explains Professor
Emsley, there is hope for family and sufferers alike. Everyone has the right to mental health and society and governing bodies are being urged to recognise and prioritise illnesses such as schizophrenia. The newly formed Schizophrenia Foundation is set to dispel the myths, educate, offer advice, counselling and treatment for sufferers and family.
Enter here to read the full article from the Schizophrenia Foundation.
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