Since it is already certain that schizophrenia – a group of diseases that are caused by a combination of exposure to biological, psychological and social factors, then , and all methods of treatment are in line with the impact on these groups of causes.
So, biological factors are everything that concerns the somatic state of a person, the characteristics of his development and the consequences of negative influences on his body.
Since pharmacological therapy is one of the leading methods here , the greatest interest in the development of new methods of treating schizophrenia lies precisely in this area. However, the situation that is observed at the moment is very ambiguous: in accordance with the interests of manufacturers of psychopharmacological drugs, information on the unsuccessful results of using a particular drug is almost always closed, and information on the positive results of schizophrenia treatment can not be made public until the end of clinical trials and permission. the use of a particular drug.
However, there are research results that already today reliably prove the effect of viruses on the occurrence of schizophrenia. Found in greater numbers than in healthy people, antibodies to rubella, measles, herpes, influenza and coronavirus viruses made it possible to assume not only the great importance of viruses in the development of schizophrenia, but also to outline one of the ways of its effective treatment. So, experiments to increase immunity in patients with schizophrenia have improved cognitive abilities, such as attention, thinking and speech, as well as improved the functioning of the cerebral vessels.
In addition, to date, the development of drugs is underway that could affect the exchange of serotonin and dopamine, the glutamate system, and the activity of cytokines. There is research. which indicate the positive effect of eating polyunsaturated fatty acids, which can reduce the need for antipsychotics, as well as generally improve the average severity of the patient’s condition.
The development of hormonal drugs is underway, as there is research showing the protective effect of estrogen in relapses of schizophrenia. So, Australian scientists have created and successfully tested an estrogen patch, which is able to enhance the effect of antipsychotics on the patient’s body.
The molecular approach to the creation of new drugs is fundamentally new and interesting . It is assumed that such drugs will be able to affect the very genetic mechanism of the manifestation of schizophrenia.
Modern treatments for schizophrenia
In general, at the moment, in order to alleviate the load on the patient’s body with a large number of drugs, new, sparing methods of pharmacotherapy have been developed .
The method of monotherapy, which is based on the fact that the patient is selected one, less often – two drugs, but they are the most suitable for him, since the selection occurs after a thorough diagnosis and examination.
The therapeutic window method is the appointment of a drug in a precisely adjusted dosage, when the patient receives exactly the amount of the drug that is sufficient to achieve a therapeutic effect. This allows you to significantly reduce the number of side effects, and, consequently, to make the patient’s life as active and high quality as possible . Often, patients stop taking drugs precisely because of the severity of their side effects and their large number. New approaches to treatment imply the abandonment of the prescription of “heavy”, long-developed drugs, replacing them, for example, with atypical antipsychotics.
The method of lateral electrical stimulation (lateral potentiation) was tested as one of the methods of biological therapy. With low-frequency electrical stimulation of the right hemisphere, potentiation (mutual reinforcement) of psychopharmacotherapy was noted.
Instrumental methods of treating schizophrenia can increase the effectiveness of therapy, and, over time, even abandon pharmacological treatment. To These include: light therapy – a method used for a long time, but in the treatment of schizophrenia, he still continues to be one of the “new”, kinesitherapy – treatment of movement, specially selected and metered loads on the human body, biological feedback.
There are developments that suggest the effectiveness of stem cell therapy. This hypothesis is based on the fact that in schizophrenia, brain neurons are damaged, and their independent regeneration (recovery) is very limited. It is this task that stem cells can be called upon to solve.
At the present stage , psychotherapy has firmly taken its place in the treatment of schizophrenia, without which it is no longer necessary to talk about high-quality results of treatment . Thus, the combination of pharmacological treatment and psychotherapy at the stage of achieving remission has already fully proven its effectiveness. In the exacerbation stage, psychotherapy often plays the role of a supportive agent, and methods of social rehabilitation should complement it .
At the time, psychotherapy allows the patient to work through their own feelings, accept yourself and learn to manage their own condition, social rehabilitation (as a rule, it takes place in a social skills training) is designed to work with the environment, with the relationship of man to society, to teach him to re-operate in him, performing a wide variety of functions and tasks.
Thus, we see that the latest developments, and all relatively new methods of treating schizophrenia, are aimed at the work of three components, which are simultaneously its causes: biological, psychological and social.
New treatments for schizophrenia are further evidence that the disease should not be viewed as a sentence. You can definitely find a way out if you turn to competent specialists for help in time .