Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a complex mental disorder characterized by disintegration of clear thinking and emotional responses. It can manifest as paranoia, delusions, hallucinations and disorganized speech and thought. There is social dysfunction.
Symptoms of schizophrenia usually appear in teen years or early adulthood. They develop over a period of time before they take on a serious dimension. Symptoms of schizophrenia include irritability, insomnia, auditory hallucinations, bizarre behavior and attention deficit. Persons suffering schizophrenia often tend to feel suicidal. Paranoid schizophrenia manifests in anxiety that others are trying to harm you and your loved ones.
Schizophrenia is caused by genetic or neuro developmental defects. Developmental background also plays a role. Diagnosing Schizophrenia is not easy. Anti psychotic medications are prescribed for schizophrenia. They affect the balance of chemicals in the brain and can help control symptoms of schizophrenia. They might lead to side-effects such as weight gain, tremors, dizziness and sleepiness. Clozapine is prescribed to treat schizophrenia. The person suffering from schizophrenia must be aided in getting plenty of sleep and rest. Learn to manage stress better. Regular exercise also proves to be beneficial.
Tranquilizer
Tranquilizers are medications that relieve anxiety and bring about a feeling of wellbeing. Tranquilizers tend to bring about sleep. They depress the nervous system thereby bringing about a calming feeling. They are not available over the counter and are to be bought on prescription only. Persons who regularly take tranquilizers experience lethargy, tremors, nausea, headache, appetite changes and menstrual irregularities. Regular use of tranquilizers can easily lead to dependence as tolerance develops rapidly. Side effects of overuse of tranquilizers are mental confusion, memory loss, difficulty in concentrating and addiction. Withdrawal symptoms of tranquilizers include rapid heartbeat, insomnia, irritability and anxiety.
Minor tranquilizers: These medications are commonly used to treat panic attacks, tension and insomnia. This type of medication is classified as anxiolytics or anti-anxiety agents. Examples of minor tranquilizers are Valium, Restoril, ProSom, Xanax and Ativan.
Major tranquilizers: This group of tranquilizers are neuroleptics and are frequently used before surgical procedures. Often these anti-psychotic drugs are prescribed for mental illnesses such as hallucinations, delusions and paranoia. They affect those receptors in the brain that are known to reduce psychotic thoughts, perceptions and agitation.
Narcolepsy
Narcolepsy is a medical condition where there is inability of the brain to regulate waking and sleeping cycles normally. A person suffering from narcolepsy is likely to have an overwhelming urge to fall asleep. While in some cases, a person may fall asleep for a few seconds or few minutes, others may remain asleep for much longer. Such episodes of daytime sleepiness can be dangerous and disabling. Narcolepsy can result in excessive daytime sleepiness or sudden sleep attacks. In many cases, narcolepsy remains undiagnosed.
Major symptoms of narcolepsy include REM sleep disturbance, cataplexy, hallucinations and sleep paralysis. Cataplexy indicates sudden loss of muscle control leading to weakness. This can occur during the initial attacks of narcolepsy. Such episodes are not to be confused with seizures. While some patients notice weakness in some muscles such as eyelids, others may suffer a loss of tone in all voluntary muscles. Hallucinations are another symptom of narcolepsy. The patient is likely to experience delusions that can often be frightening. Sleep paralysis refers to a temporary inability to move while suffering a sleeping attack during narcolepsy. The patient might notice this while falling asleep or waking up.
Diagnostic tests such as overnight polysomnography or Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT) are used. Polysomnogram involves placement of electrodes on your scalp before falling asleep. This test measures the movement of the eyes and muscles and monitors the electrical activity of the brain. MSLT is a test to check how long it takes you to fall asleep. This throws light on the sleep patterns of the patient and helps in understanding and measuring sleep latency. Medications for narcolepsy can help reduce signs and symptoms. These medicines may interfere with other health conditions such as hypertension and diabetes. Antidepressants can reduce symptoms of cataplexy and sleep paralysis.
Bibliography / Reference
|
