Schizophrenia: symptoms and signs in men

According to experts, the symptoms and signs of schizophrenia in men are indicated at an earlier age than women. In addition, the analysis of behavior allows timely detection of a tendency to mental disorders and to avoid exacerbation of the disease.

Schizophrenia in men - causes

Schizophrenia is called a progressive mental illness of a chronic type, which is characterized by changes in the emotional, volitional, as well as mental behavioral reactions. The ambiguity of the manifestations of the disorder indicates the presence of several phased syndromes.

The most common companion of schizophrenia is the disorganization of the patient’s speech, the appearance of hallucinations and a decrease in social functioning.

The disease occurs against the background of pathological processes in the brain. However, the causes that lead to the development of the disease are not yet fully understood.

At the moment, neuroscientists have established only part of the factors that provoke the development of schizophrenia:

• hereditary predisposition. The development of pathology occurs when summing the defective genes of each of the parents. Defective genes received from ancestors sooner or later are expressed in a mental disorder, even if the parents did not show obvious deviations. The tendency to depression or emotional coldness is often inherent in people with a sluggish form of the disease;
• environmental impact.The conditions and lifestyle of a person can affect his mental state. Deviations in behavior can occur under the influence of overwork, lack of sleep and stress, the use of alcohol and drugs, a difficult family situation, excessive mental stress.

Traumatic brain injuries and other serious illnesses are also considered to be favorable soil for the development of the disease.

Due to the fact that men are more restrained emotionally, prone to drinking alcohol and differ in pronounced personal characteristics, male schizophrenia is observed more often than female, has a chronic form and is considered incurable.

How does schizophrenia manifest in men?

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Cases of men with schizophrenia were not uncommon in ancient times. But nowadays, pathology has become more common. However, for physicians and scientists, schizophrenic mental disorders continue to be poorly understood.

Unlike female schizophrenia, in men the disease is characterized by a continuous course. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to the appearance of signals about the possible development of the disorder as early as possible.

Many men are active in social life, which means that it is possible to recognize the emergence of a dangerous state of the psyche simply by analyzing human behavior in society and paying attention to the changes that have appeared. The manifestation of a mental disorder begins with actions that in a normal situation do not always seem adequate.

A man’s coldness towards his wife usually causes a feeling of jealousy, indifference to his mother is explained by selfishness, and hostility to anything is regarded as a result of tiredness or loss of interest. This happens because close people do not understand that he is sick, and try to justify his behavior.

Gradually, the level of detachment from society increases. A man becomes sloppy and withdrawn. It is not possible to solve the problems that arise through a simple conversation, since a sick person avoids communication not only with friends and acquaintances, but also with close relatives.

The first signs of male schizophrenia

Most often, the first signs of schizophrenia in men are left without the attention of others. The onset of early symptoms of schizophrenia is possible starting at the age of 15.

Most parents consider this period in the child’s life to be transitional and try not to take too sharply the inadequacy of their behavior.

The first thing you should pay attention to is sudden changes in the character, mood and behavior of the teenager. Personal changes can be manifested in isolation, lack of interest in things that were previously of interest, decrease or excessive increase in emotionality.

A typical sign of early schizophrenia is considered fixation on the appearance, provided that there really is no reason for dissatisfaction.

Teenagers often refuse to perceive their appearance as it is. They can see themselves too fat or ugly. The consequences of such a vision are not always safe. For example, refusing food to lose weight most often leads to anorexia.

The main signs of schizophrenia in men

The development of schizophrenia in men of mature age is not always manifested in an acute form.

The most noticeable sign of a developing disorder is constant mood swings, conditions when emotionality and activity are suddenly replaced by detachment and loss of interest in the world around.

Despite the signs of the disorder, patients continue to work and carry out daily duties, and they try to suppress personality changes.

However, in order to determine the origin of mental disorders, it is not necessary to be a qualified specialist. It is enough to pay attention to specific changes in the behavior of men with schizophrenia.

The most serious changes in the patient's psyche occur with the development of schizophrenia at the age of 20-30 years.

Features of behavior in a schizophrenic state

One of the characteristic manifestations of the disease is the lack of visual contact. Patients with schizophrenia can not stand a direct look and try to look away. In addition, the thinking of men gradually changes, the desire to learn, or to use previously acquired knowledge and experience disappears.

Against the background of emotional coldness, a lot of philosophical concepts appear in the speech of a sick person, he is overcome by obscure ideas that seem genius to him, but are perceived by others as nonsense.

During this period, people with a mental disorder may experience phobias - persecution mania, a sense of unreasonable fear for their lives. Such people try to take measures to protect themselves - they blindly shut the windows, lock the doors to all the locks, and they look for signs of poison in the food offered to them.

Despite the apparent dementia of patients with schizophrenia, their level of intelligence remains the same.

Symptoms of various types of schizophrenia in men

Despite the fact that hallucinations and delusions often accompany the development of schizophrenia, these signs should not be regarded as the main symptoms. There are a number of other diseases for which a similar symptomatology is characteristic, for example, alcoholism.

The main symptoms of the disease include:

• occurrence of speech defects;
• decrease in emotional level;
• inadequate reaction to pleasant events, lack of pleasure;
• loss of interest in work or study;
• loss of concentration;
• thoughts of harassment and danger;
• bouts of aggression for no reason;
• state of apathy and indifference;
• atypical emotional manifestations.

Sound, olfactory, gustatory or visual hallucinations, as well as delusions arising from the above symptoms, are an additional sign of schizophrenia.

Under the influence of hallucinations, a person loses touch with reality and is able to harm not only others, but also himself.

Typical topics of delusional ideas are suspicion of surveillance and prosecution, the impact of unknown forces on the patient’s thoughts. Often people with schizophrenia feel as if others are laughing at them, discussing or whispering behind them.

Without proper psychological assistance to a sick man, the support of relatives and communication, the condition of schizophrenia worsens and can lead to a complete loss of working capacity.

Types and features of the disease

The development of schizophrenia can take place according to several scenarios, differing in the speed of the course, the features of the clinical picture and the stages. To determine the type of disease, specialists use a special classification of the disorder.

A continuous form of pathology is characterized by a gradual withdrawal of the patient into his own world in the absence of remissions. Such people are shown a permanent stay in the hospital.

With a sluggish form, the symptoms of the disease are almost not manifested. Most often, pathology is observed in men in adulthood and old age.

The paroxysmal form is expressed in periodic exacerbations and periods of rest.

Types of disease and their symptoms

Depending on the specific clinical manifestations, schizophrenia is divided into the following types:

• catatonic. It is observed in men aged 20-30 years. It is characterized by a violation of motor functions against the background of complete preservation of consciousness;
• paranoid, most common. It is observed at the age of 30-40. It is characterized by obsessive delirium, a distortion of the perception of oneself, hallucinations against the background of a slightly oppressed emotional and volitional sphere;
• hebephrenic, one of the most difficult to manifest and treat. It is characterized by disorders in the emotional and volitional sphere. The behavior of patients becomes meaningless, accompanied by grimacing, giggling or mannerism;
• plain.It appears at any age. Leads to gradual degradation.

The development of schizophrenia, detected in the early stages, can be stopped, or slowed down, if adequate treatment is provided.

Diagnosis of the disease

The basis for the suspicion of schizophrenia is considered to be the presence of at least two characteristic symptoms observed in men for six months.

To confirm or reject the diagnosis, examinations of psychiatrists and neurologists are necessary, as well as a number of research activities:

• brain scan through MRI;
• testing to determine mental abnormalities;
• sleep monitoring;
• CT scan;
• rheoencephalographic study of the brain.

A prerequisite for a diagnostic examination is a thorough study of the anamnesis, finding out the possibility of a hereditary predisposition to the disease, and the exclusion of other types of mental pathologies.

Methods for treating schizophrenia in men

To eliminate the symptoms of the disease and support a stable psycho-emotional state, complex treatment is used - with the help of medications and psychological therapy.

The possibility of medication for schizophrenia became available in the middle of the last century, when antipsychotic drugs, antipsychotics, were discovered. The right choice of the drug means not only a therapeutic effect on the nervous system, but also minimizing the number of possible adverse reactions, such as cramping or trembling hands.

The form and timing of antipsychotic medication are determined by the severity of the patient's condition and the form of his disease. An important task of physicians is to make the patient understand the need for medication.

Upon reaching a conscious attitude to therapy, against the background of a lack of aggressiveness, further treatment is allowed to take place at home.

Therapy of a psychological and social nature provides for moral support, the choice of the right tactics of behavior when communicating with a sick man, as well as providing comfortable living conditions for him.

Loss of personal qualities by patients with schizophrenia is recognized as an irreversible phenomenon.

Schizophrenia in men: prevention

Preventive measures are appropriate for a genetic predisposition of a man, as well as in the presence of exacerbations of schizophrenia in history.

Primary prevention involves collecting information about the mental health of ancestors and close relatives and predicting the degree of risk of developing the disease.

When confirming diagnostic predictions, it is necessary to completely exclude the intake of alcoholic beverages and ensure the intake of antipsychotic drugs according to the doctor's recommendations. In addition, any mental stress should be avoided.

The ability of self-adaptation in society in patients with schizophrenia is impaired, so the task of doctors and relatives is to prevent the loss of a person’s connection with reality and its complete loss from society.