Benefits of Early Intervention for Schizophrenia
Understanding Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a misunderstood disease. In popular culture, schizophrenia has been portrayed as having multiple personalities, or even having magic powers. In reality, schizophrenia is a disorder that affects the way a person thinks, feels, and behaves. The symptoms include psychosis, or hallucinations, delusions, and illogical thoughts, a loss of a daily motivation or interest, social withdrawal, and problems with attention, memory, and concentration. These symptoms of loss of interest and functioning along with change in cognition often appear before the hallmark first episode of psychosis.The average age of schizophrenia onset ranges from 16 to 30, with diagnosis often occurring just after the first episode of psychosis.
In order to intervene early, one must recognize the signs and symptoms of schizophrenia. The non-psychotic symptoms can look similar to depression, which can make it tricky to recognize as schizophrenia. However, schizophrenia comes with a significantly reduced ability to follow a conversation and flat affect, or the loss of animation and tone change in a person’s demeanor. These symptoms are almost uniquely tied to schizophrenia.
Taking early intervention before psychosis appears can help prepare the diagnosed for future symptoms and reduce suffering related to confusion and stigma. It can even decrease recurrence of symptoms. Because schizophrenia involves such a difference in functioning compared to how most people live their everyday lives, early intervention helps prevent this change from becoming too abnormal and disruptive.
One of the most significant benefits of intervening early with schizophrenia is the overall improvement of a diagnosed person’s outcomes. Early intervention includes education, a treatment plan, or even medications to help manage symptoms. This puts the person in contact with a team who is knowledgeable and able to help direct them during a confusing and scary time. This also prevents the person from seeking out substances, engaging in crimes, or otherwise getting into trouble with the law as a result of undiagnosed schizophrenia.
Early intervention for schizophrenia can also build a support network that a person might not otherwise have had due to stigma and fear around the effects of psychosis. Keeping these symptoms managed while providing education to a person’s family can help the family see schizophrenia as the illness that it is. Early intervention can also help a person keep a stable job and friend group, which normalizes schizophrenia and reduces the myths surrounding it. Another significant benefit of early intervention for schizophrenia is that, if caught before psychosis during the prodromal period, it can delay onset and recurrence of psychotic symptoms. If schizophrenia is caught before hallucinations, jumbled speech, or disorganized thoughts begin, it can also help shorten the length of a psychotic episode once they do begin. This can be tremendously helpful in keeping a patient safe and outside of an institutional facility such as a mental hospital or jail.
Early intervention for schizophrenia has a multitude of benefits, including improved symptom management, reduced hospitalization, healthier coping mechanisms, and overall better functioning. When we are able to identify someone’s needs before they reach crisis point, we are able to better prepare them and their families for what the future may look like.
