Schizophrenia Treatment
Have you recently learned that you or a loved one has schizophrenia? Have you experienced symptoms like hearing something that isn’t there? Are you concerned about your ability to determine what’s really happening in the world around you?
Concerns and questions are common when you begin your journey with schizophrenia, but the condition isn’t as uncommon as you might think. It’s estimated that over 179,000 adults in Louisiana have a serious mental health condition, including schizophrenia.
The Oceans Experience
Oceans is committed to providing quality behavioral health in a safe environment. With our telehealth capabilities we can conduct therapy, education and diagnosis via phone or video. We accept Medicare, TRICARE and most private insurance.
At Oceans Healthcare, we know that people with serious mental health conditions need comprehensive, compassionate care that empowers them to live fruitful lives. Let’s take an in-depth look at our approach to schizophrenia treatment.
What We Treat: Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a chronic condition that disrupts a person’s thoughts and feelings, often leading to a disconnection from reality. Symptoms usually begin sometime between the late teens and early 30s. The condition tends to present earlier in men than in women.
When schizophrenia goes untreated, it has a massive impact on your quality of life. Your symptoms can make it more difficult to maintain intimate relationships and hold down a steady job. The impaired thinking that goes along with the condition can result in dangerous and impulsive decision-making that can put your physical health at risk as well.
Whether you’ve been living with schizophrenia for a long time or you’ve just started to develop symptoms, treatment will help. The right combination of medication and evidence-based therapy will empower you to manage your symptoms and develop coping skills.
How We Treat: Multiple Levels of Care
Schizophrenia is a serious mental health condition. If you or your loved one is living with the condition, you know how important it is to have mental healthcare when you need it most. The amount of care you need changes depending on how severely your symptoms are affecting you.
However much support you need, we’ve got the right treatment options for you, including:
Intensive Outpatient Program Services (IOP). Here, you’ll get 3 hours of treatment 4 evenings a week. This ensures that you get more treatment than a typical therapist could provide while still empowering you to maintain your weekly schedule.
Residential or inpatient treatment. In residential treatment, you’ll have access to 24/7 care from our world-class clinical staff. You’ll be able to focus on recovery in a safe, welcoming, homey environment while we support you through individual therapy, group therapy, and medication management.
Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP). You’ll benefit from 4 to 5 hours of daily treatment, with the ability to return home at the end of the day. You’ll be able to connect with peers who are doing the same work on their mental health and receive comprehensive care from our clinical team, including access to medical doctors.
What Are the Causes of Schizophrenia?
Scientists are still working to identify the exact causes of schizophrenia. Multiple factors contribute to the development of the condition.
Family history is thought to be a significant factor in the development of schizophrenia. Studies done on identical twins suggest that if your twin has schizophrenia, you have about a 50/50 chance of developing the condition, even if you weren’t raised in the same household. This demonstrates that, while genetics play a role, they are not the only factor. If they were, people with the same genes would have an identical likelihood of developing the condition.
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), including sexual, verbal, and physical abuse at home, have been linked to the development of schizophrenia. However, not everyone living with schizophrenia was abused as a child. Other examples of ACEs include traumatic experiences, like bullying or living through a natural disaster.
Physical environmental factors also play a role in whether or not a person has schizophrenia. For example, the condition has been linked to prenatal exposure to lead. Scientists also theorize that viral diseases are connected to the onset of schizophrenic symptoms in some people.
Recognizing the Signs and Symptoms of Schizophrenia
The symptoms of bipolar disorder fall into 5 broader categories, including:
- Psychosis is a symptom of schizophrenia that causes you to lose touch with reality. The brain can’t effectively process information during psychosis, which makes it difficult to understand the difference between fantasy and reality. During psychosis, it’s common to experience synchronicities. Synchronicities are unrelated events that the brain interprets as being related and uses to back up.
- Hallucinations are sights, sounds, tastes, smells, and feelings that aren’t real. Auditory hallucinations are the most common for many people living with schizophrenia. This may include hearing voices, music, or other sounds.
- Delusions occur when you hold beliefs that aren’t based on reality. Delusions of grandeur are common, which cause you to believe that you have powers beyond what is possible. You may also believe that you’re famous, well-known, or more important than you actually are.
- Disorganized thought and speech patterns involve conversations that don’t make sense. When you experience disorganized thought patterns, you have a “flight of ideas” where you can’t stay focused on one topic.
- Disorganized motor patterns are movements that lack context. These can come on without warning and are disruptive to daily life. For some people, this means a sudden lack of movement.
If you have schizophrenia, you’ll also experience negative symptoms, where you lose certain abilities. Lack of emotional response, flat vocal patterns, and the lack of facial expressions are common examples.
Getting Your Schizophrenia Diagnosed
At Oceans Healthcare, our clinicians will help you find the diagnosis that best fits your symptoms. Every program is overseen by a board-certified psychiatrist, so you’ll get the medical expertise you need.
During the diagnostic process, a medical professional will ask you a series of questions about your medical history. They will inquire about your symptoms and any other behaviors about which you’re concerned.
They will also rule out any other causes of your symptoms. To accomplish this, they may run tests, including blood work to rule out chemical changes or an electroencephalogram (EEG) to rule out conditions like epilepsy.
Once other conditions have been ruled out, the following are the diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5):
- You exhibit at least 2 of the 5 symptoms
- You’ve had these symptoms for at least two months
- Your symptoms have a serious impact on your ability to work and maintain relationships
Receiving a diagnosis can be intimidating, but it doesn’t have to define you. A diagnosis is the first step in getting the quality treatment you deserve.
What You Can Expect During Treatment: The Oceans Six Promise
Treatment at Oceans Healthcare is based on six fundamental principles that guide us in every decision we make as a team and enable us to provide world-class care to every client.
- We treat every client with the dignity they deserve, regardless of their circumstances or experiences.
- We provide comprehensive care, treating the whole person’s mind and body to ensure the best possible outcome for overall health.
- We are relentless in our commitment to quality, and our staff is always on the cutting edge of the newest research and standards of care.
- Integrity is a fundamental part of every interaction of who we are as an organization, and it’s reflected in everything we do for our clients.
- We believe in the power of advocacy, and we’re determined to help our clients while they’re in our care and beyond.
Our whole staff is grounded in teamwork, and every client has multiple clinicians working together to find the best way to meet their individual needs.
Start Your Schizophrenia Treatment Today at Oceans Healthcare
Living with schizophrenia isn’t simple, but getting treatment doesn’t have to be complicated. We know that effective treatment can drastically improve your quality of life because we’ve seen it work for our clients. You deserve compassionate, quality healthcare that empowers you with the coping skills you need. A better path is possible, and we’re here to get you started on that journey.
We are ready to help you get started with your schizophrenia treatment as early as today! Oceans Healthcare accepts 24/7 referrals, so we’re ready as soon as you are. Our origins in geriatric care mean that from adolescents to the elderly, we understand the importance of treating complex cases, emphasizing physical and mental health. Contact us on our website or call us now at 888-293-6899.
Oceans Healthcare: Your Path, Our Purpose.