Schizophrenia Treatment At Ohio Recovery Center

Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness that causes a person to become detached from reality. This mental health condition affects how a person behaves, thinks, and feels.

Although these symptoms can be very disorienting and even scary, they don’t have to control your daily life.

Treatment for schizophrenia at Ohio Recovery Center offers comprehensive care in a cozy, residential setting, with medical and clinical professionals available 24/7 to provide care and emotional support.

Our serene countryside campus provides an ideal setting for healing your body, mind, and spirit, with comfortable accommodations in gender-specific cottages, 55 acres of grounds to explore, including a pond, hiking trails, and sports fields, a fitness facility with yoga classes and workout equipment, group meditation sessions, and more. 

Schizophrenia Treatment At Ohio Recovery Center

At Ohio Recovery Center, we offer personalized treatment plans for people living with schizophrenia. This includes people who have not yet been diagnosed as well as people who are experiencing a return of symptoms, or a relapse.

Our experts in mental health treatment at our state-of-the-art mental health facility provide stabilization services and the tools you need to manage your symptoms and maintain recovery. This includes a full assessment from our psychiatrist and psychiatric nurses to help determine your care needs, the latest evidence-based treatment options for schizophrenia, and a holistic approach to care that includes aftercare planning.

Once you have stabilized, you will most likely begin cognitive behavioral therapy, widely recognized as the best therapy approach for schizophrenia. Other science-backed individual and group therapy options are also available, along with peer support and self-help groups, family psychoeducation, life skills training, and recreational and wellness activities.

Ohio Recovery Center’s medication management services can help ensure that you are prescribed the right medication and dosage to achieve the desired outcomes, with no or minimal side effects.

Throughout treatment, a licensed case manager can help ensure that your work needs or similar needs are met, while our aftercare coordinator will ensure that you have the resources you need for ongoing recovery before leaving us.

Medication

Some of the medications that may be helpful for people with schizophrenia include typical first-generation antipsychotics. 

Examples of these antipsychotic drugs include:

• thioridazine
• chlorpromazine
• thiothixene
• fluphenazine
• perphenazine
• haloperidol

Other options are second-generation antipsychotic medications. 

These atypical antipsychotics include:

• aripiprazole

• clozapine
• iloperidone
• lurasidone
• olanzapine
• risperidone

As with all medications, side effects can occur, such as weight gain or tardive dyskinesia, a condition that causes muscle stiffness, and will be monitored by your care providers.

Psychotherapy & Support Groups

Medications are combined with psychotherapy, or “talk therapy,” in the treatment of schizophrenia. 

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) offers a problem-focused approach to treatment, teaching clients how to recognize false beliefs or unhelpful ways of thinking, ignore any voices, and manage other symptoms that may get in the way of living life. 

Individual, group, and family therapy sessions may be provided to address different aspects of recovery and help prevent relapse.

Peer support groups are another helpful treatment option, providing a broader perspective on living with schizophrenia. 

Self-Management Strategies

Additionally, self-management strategies may be offered to help you learn how to better manage your mental health disorder. This includes psychoeducation about your disorder, coping strategies for persistent symptoms, a relapse prevention plan to help you identify warning signs of a relapse and get necessary treatment, and more.

Learn About Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a psychotic disorder that affects a person’s thinking, creating false perceptions or hallucinations. People diagnosed with schizophrenia may experience psychotic episodes that can be frightening and create delusions.

Subtypes Of Schizophrenia

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) recognizes five subtypes of schizophrenia.

These include:

• paranoid schizophrenia
• disorganized schizophrenia
• catatonic schizophrenia
• residual schizophrenia
• undifferentiated schizophrenia

Diagnosis

Licensed mental health professionals such as those at ORC can provide a diagnosis of schizophrenia. 

Because symptoms of schizoaffective disorder or bipolar disorder often mirror those of schizophrenia, these diagnoses require especially careful consideration.

Symptoms & Signs

To receive a diagnosis of schizophrenia, a person generally must have two or more symptoms that affect daily life for at least six months. 

These include:

• negative symptoms (e.g., reduced ability to feel pleasure, loss of interest in hobbies, etc.)
• catatonic or disorganized behavior
• disorganized speech
• hallucinations (e.g., seeing or hearing things that aren’t there)
• delusions (i.e., false beliefs about reality)

Signs of schizophrenia also consist of no longer being able to sustain relationships or steady employment. 

Other signs and symptoms of schizophrenia can include:

• confused thinking
• difficulty concentrating
• being emotionally flat
• psychosis

Risk Factors 

Genetics are an important risk factor for schizophrenia. Those with relatives who have the mental illness may be more likely to develop it as well.

People with schizophrenia may also have an elevated risk of cardiovascular issues or diabetes. Your healthcare team can monitor your physical health as well as your mental health during treatment.

Facts about schizophrenia include:

• The average age of the first episode of schizophrenia occurs in the late teens to early 20s.
• Schizophrenia affects one in 300 people worldwide.
• 50% of people in treatment facilities across the United States have a schizophrenia diagnosis.
• Schizophrenia is in the top 15 leading causes of disability worldwide.
• Schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders occur at a rate of between 0.25% and 0.64% in the U.S.

Find Treatment At Ohio Recovery Center

To learn more about ORC’s short-term residential treatment program for people with schizophrenia, please contact us today.