Why do they prescribe anti-psychotics for schizophrenia?
Question:
But anti psychotics are anti PSYCHOTICS... they give them to people who are violent and psychotic to slow them down ...
and they call them anti-psychotics for a reason ... they lower the dopamine levels in the brain so the patient is sedated and not able to do much stuff... that would NOT benefit someone with schizophrenia who constantly suffers from tormenting voices that bother him, make it impossible to concentrate and make him feel severely traumatized and depressed ...a dopamine Antagonist would make that even Worse! ...
seems like a dopamine agonist would make it better ..
and it's upsetting to know that most psychiatrists stereotype schizophrenics as being violent, aggressive and psychotic...
What, in your opinion would be the best treatment for schizophrenia?
Answers:
Psychotic means delusional or hallucinating. Hearing voices is an auditory hallucination. Believing them is a delusion. There's nothing in the real meaning of psychosis that says violence. Most psychiatrists do not believe schizos are violent. Most schizos are not violent. They are far more apt to be the victims of violence.
There are first generation anti-psychotics and atypical APs. They do not all work the same. If you want to get into technical details, try asking your questions at www.crazymeds.org some time next week.
Of the AAPs, Abilify and Geodon have some anti-depressant qualities. Or, an anti-depressant can be added. There are alternatives, but no one here can guess what would be best.
Psychotic is not synonymous with violent. Maybe you are thinking of psychopaths (aka sociopaths aka people with antisocial personality disorder) who typically are incapable of empathy and their actions are all about getting their own needs met with no regard for anyone or anything else. I'm tired, so not explaining this as well as I should. Serial killers tend to have this.
Psychotic refers to breaks with reality.hallucinations and delusions. Antipsychotics are specifically aimed at treating those symptoms (although they treat other symptoms too). It has been shown that schizophrenics have elevated levels of dopamine. Stimulants also raise dopamine levels and can end up causing psychotic symptoms. It is thought that the dopamine level plays an important role and by regulating the level closer to the "normal" level, normal functioning is possible.
well.schizophrenia is a form of psychosis, and hearing voices is part of being psychotic so thats why they are given antipsychotics. People who are violent arent always psychotic, and people with schizophrenia arent always violent.
well, what you are wrong about is what is meant by 'psychosis', which is, hearing voices or seeing things. and that is what antipsychotics curb.
Depends on what type of schizophrenia it is. Not all hear voices. Some can get quite phychotic, they need that type of medication, it will make a big difference in their life. Schizophrenia can only be controlled with medication. Phychotic does not mean a violent person, Schizophrenia by itself is a form of phychosis thats why most need to take that type of medication
I've never heard of psychiatrists stereotyping schizophrenics as violent!
First, a clarification. I think you're thinking of someone who's psychopathic. A psychopath is someone who has no empathy or conscience, basically, and no impulse control. This can lead them to do terrible things to people - if someone's described as 'psycho' and dangerous, they almost certainly mean psychopathy, which is also known as sociopathy or Antisocial Personality Disorder (which, incidentally, has nothing with being antisocial, as in a loner).
Now! Psychosis, which is suffered by someone who is Psychotic, is basically a lack of contact with reality. Someone who hallucinates or has delusions, especially when they have no concept that what they're percieving isn't real, is psychotic. And psychosis can be triggered by a lot of things - from severe mental image to intense stress to prolonged sleep deprivation! So someone who has Schizophrenia is psychotic - but by NO means psychopathic.
Now, I actually have a friend who's Schizophrenic. He had the hallucinations (and even though he had been told that they were, in fact, hallucinations, he was still convinced they were real, which is a sign of the illness), the delusions, the paranoia, and the sheer inability to cope. He went on antipsychotics (Risperidone) and most of the symptoms went away. He still had hallucinations, but they weren't as violent and as terrifying as they were before.
In his case, a combination of antipsychotics and therapy (to learn to deal with the hallucinations and adjust back to everyday life) is working fine for him. He still has attacks, but they're much, MUCH less frequent.
It should be noted that antipsychotics, while they are effective for treating psychosis, do have a few side effects, like Tardive Dyskinesia. Always make sure you know what you're doing with them, and if you have any weird signs while on them, get off them immediately.
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