Schizophrenia
If you are experiencing any thought and behavior symptoms yourself or observing such changes in someone else who is close to you or your loved one or if you are just curious about such illnesses, some fundamental knowledge regarding schizophrenia will enable you to avoid all the misconceptions and misbelieves about the disorder. This article will help you a lot in knowing more about the disease.

Schizophrenia has been prevailing for long and is known to be a severe brain disorder affecting nearly 1% of people irrespective of sex worldwide. It has a throughout recorded history in affecting people. Generally the initial symptoms of schizophrenia normally begins at the early 20’s or in adolescence in men, but women seems to have a late onset most probably in their 20’s or 30’s. Schizophrenia is a sporadic illness, referring that the severity of the symptoms will vary unsteadily over time.

It is known that brain is composed of several neurons, which are ordered systematically into regions of the brain. The brain cells or neurons are responsible for receiving and sending sensory information like sight, taste, fear and all other emotions and other functions involve organizing, coordinating, and processing the information from all brain parts.

Neurons link all these regions into a complex network. In general, information is passed through neurons by exchange in chemicals through the tiny gaps known as synapses between the neurons. These chemical messengers are referred to as neurotransmitters.

Most of the researchers believe that schizophrenia is mainly caused by an imbalance in the neurotransmitter, dopamine. Dopamine is responsible for transmitting signals involving feelings and thoughts. Even research proposes that schizophrenic people are found to contain high dopamine levels in many regions of their brain. Hence the drugs that control the dopamine levels in the brain may prove effective in controlling schizophrenia.
Many people mistake schizophrenia to split personality also referred to as multiple personality disorder. Here a person seems to possess multiple identities in stead of a single distinct one. This cannot be controlled by any medications and involves talk therapy as the only treatment mode to recombine the separate personalities.

Schizophrenia is totally different from MPD. Conversely, schizophrenia involves the breakdown of the common integration of various brain functions. And the main difference is that schizophrenia can be treated through medications by balancing the chemical imbalances. Antipsychotic drugs in combination with support and psychosocial therapies can be the best treatment option for schizophrenia.

It is difficult to diagnose the disorder owing to the single or no symptoms that are specifically associated with schizophrenia. Yet the specific symptoms of schizophrenia are
 Auditory hallucinations (hearing things not actually present)
 Feelings like being plotted against
 Feelings of other people reading our thoughts
But investigation is still continuing for a better cure, but till a proper medication is found for schizophrenia, the schizophrenic people are forced to take medications for their entire life to keep the symptoms under control.