Schizophrenia is a severe, lifelong mental illness that impairs a person’s capacity for rational thought, emotional control, and world perception. Symptoms frequently start when a person is in their teen years, with occasional spikes in severity.
The idea that schizophrenia can get worse as people age was once widely accepted. However, recent studies indicate that while some symptoms might get worse with age, others will stay the same, and some symptoms might even get better.
To learn more about schizophrenia, please read this article.
Symptoms Of Schizophrenia
Three categories best describe the signs of schizophrenia:
- Positive symptoms: altered perceptions, such as hallucinations, delusions, and jumbled thinking, are present.
- Negative symptoms: absence of a healthy mental state, such as lowered drive, affects the intensity of emotions, pleasure, or interest in life.
- Cognitive symptoms: Cognitive working memory dysfunction, inability to pay attention, and issues with information processing
Every person with schizophrenia exhibits a unique set of symptoms. Over the course of an individual’s lifetime, these symptoms may also alter. Schizophrenia cannot be cured and the symptoms do not go away on their own, but it can be managed and treated with medication and psychotherapy.
The biggest factor affecting a person’s ability to lead a healthy, productive life is actually schizophrenia treatment, not age.
Age And Schizophrenia
It was widely believed for a very long time that schizophrenia got worse with age. This is not always the case, according to recent research. Among the noteworthy conclusions are:
- Older people with schizophrenia tend to have fewer and less severe positive symptoms than younger people
- Negative symptoms frequently linger until later in life.
- People with late-onset schizophrenia usually require lower doses of antipsychotic medication than people with early-onset schizophrenia
- Although individuals with schizophrenia have a lower baseline of neurocognitive functioning than the general population, their risk of aging-related decline is comparable to that of individuals without schizophrenia.
- In older people with schizophrenia, medical comorbidity is relatively common. Older people with schizophrenia have higher rates of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and lung disease than older people without the condition.
These discoveries are vital because they give us a better understanding of the illness, its causes, its course, and the treatments required for those who have it.
Untreated schizophrenia frequently causes mental health to deteriorate further and increases the risk of serious medical conditions such as brain damage, liver disease, heart disease, and other serious illnesses.
However, it is possible to manage the symptoms and improve health and quality of life when schizophrenia treatment begins early and is consistent.
Research is essential to advancing our knowledge of schizophrenia and creating efficient therapies that offer relief to those who need it most.
What Makes Schizophrenia Get Worse?
Schizophrenia may seem to get worse over time for a variety of reasons. Schizophrenia symptoms can make it challenging for patients to adhere to their treatment regimen, which can eventually lead to the illness getting worse.
In order to manage their symptoms, people with schizophrenia must take their medication on a regular basis. It is likely that people with schizophrenia will experience worsening symptoms if they stop taking their medication.
In time, it is likely that people with schizophrenia will experience fewer symptoms once they resume taking their medication.
Some people with schizophrenia experience symptoms that are so bad that they act erratically or violently. When this occurs, they might encounter additional societal difficulties that could worsen their chances of progressing and leading normal lives.
Some people with schizophrenia experience symptoms that are so severe they are unable to continue working.
As they age, those with schizophrenia may also discover that they require more support because dealing with the illness can make it challenging to manage adult responsibilities like work and family.
Due to their inability to control their circumstances, older people with schizophrenia may appear to have a worsening illness when in reality, they are just struggling to cope.
What Are The Signs Of Schizophrenia Getting Worse?
There are a number of signs that show schizophrenia symptoms are getting worse. For instance, if a person with schizophrenia is not taking their medication as directed and is developing more hallucinations or delusions.
- Disorganized speech: If the person with schizophrenia is speaking jumbled or incoherently, this may mean that they need to adjust their medication or that they are going through a relapse.
- Changing or increasing social contact It may be a sign that someone with schizophrenia is reverting to earlier behavioral patterns if they start to isolate themselves more or become less social. However, if they develop a strong attachment to one particular person, it may be a sign that they are developing a new delusion and need to talk to their doctor about changing their medication.
- A change in appetite or weight: When a person with schizophrenia begins to overeat and gain weight, it may indicate that they are beginning to experience negative symptoms of their illness (such as delusions of poverty or poor health). On the other hand, they might be having food-related hallucinations if they start losing interest in food and starting to lose weight.
- alterations in sleeping habits If the person wakes up frequently during the night, it may be because their medication for schizophrenia is affecting how well they sleep. Indicators of schizophrenia getting worse include an increase in nightmares or trouble falling asleep.
The Importance Of Treatment For Schizophrenia
When schizophrenia is untreated, it frequently results in a further decline in both mental and physical health, increasing the risk that the patient will develop serious medical issues like brain damage, liver disease, and heart disease.
The good news is that schizophrenia symptoms can be controlled and patients’ health and quality of life can be improved by beginning treatment for the condition early and consistently.
It is crucial to carry out research to deepen our understanding of schizophrenia and to create treatments that alleviate the suffering of society’s most vulnerable people.
Combinations of methods are frequently used to treat schizophrenia. Medication can control symptoms, but progress towards recovery is typically only possible with some kind of psychotherapy.
Tips For Managing Schizophrenia As You Age
Finding ways to control the ups and downs as time goes on is crucial to your overall quality of life if you or a loved one has schizophrenia. Here are some suggestions to think about that might assist you in controlling schizophrenia symptoms:
Keep Body And Mind Active
- exercise frequently
- engage in regular social interactions
- maintain a healthy diet
By taking these actions, you can improve brain blood flow and lessen psychosocial stressors, which are known to cause schizophrenia.
Nurture Your Network
The key to managing schizophrenia as you age is to build and maintain a supportive social network because symptoms of schizophrenia can occasionally make you feel disconnected.
Having a close relationship with your family and your primary healthcare provider can be beneficial when you want to talk about changes in your symptoms.
Additionally, having a family member accompany you to doctor’s appointments can make it easier for you to stay informed of specific adjustments to your care and medications.
Find Solace In Structure
When symptoms become difficult to control, maintaining a structured schedule and creating routines can be very beneficial. The preservation and enhancement of cognitive function in older adults with schizophrenia depend particularly on this.
Practice Perspective
Last but not least, it’s crucial to discover your purpose and meaning in life. Although schizophrenia is a genetically predisposed health condition, it does not entirely define who you are. Make sure you approach your health and wellness from a broad perspective and keep engaging in activities that make you feel happy, engaged, and stimulated.
Final Words
Chronic mental illness schizophrenia presents both the person with it and their loved ones with a number of difficulties. Even subtle changes in your loved one’s behavior should be observed.
It is not known if schizophrenia can get worse over time; symptoms usually start to show in late adolescence or early adulthood.
