Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a debilitating mental disorder that can be devastating for patients and their families. Schizophrenia is often marked by delusions, visual and auditory hallucinations, and disorganized thinking. Schizophrenia’s onset is in late adolescence or thereafter and is thought to have both a genetic component and an environmental trigger.
Symptoms
Positive symptoms of schizophrenia include psychotic characteristics such as delusions, auditory hallucinations and thought disorder.
Negative symptoms of schizophrenia include flat affect or emotion, lack of speech, attention or memory abilities, social withdrawal and other deficiencies.
Types
The three main types of schizophrenia include:- Paranoid schizophrenia
- Catatonic schizophrenia
- Disorganized schizophrenia
Other types of schizophrenia include:
- Residual Schizophrenia
- Undifferentiated Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia Medications
Typical Antipsychotic Drugs
Examples of older “typical antipsychotics” include Thorazine (chlorpromazine hydrochloride) and Haldol (Haloperidol). The major disadvantage of these medications include unwanted motor side effects such as tardive dyskinesia, marked by involuntary and uncontrollable movements, akinesia, a type of drug-related Parkinsonism, and akathisia, marked by restlessness and fidgeting. These side effects may persist after cessation of the medication.
Atypical Antipsychotic Drugs
Examples of newer "atypical antipsychotics" include Zyprexa, Risperdal and Seroquel.
This generation of drugs was thought to be as effective at treating the psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia as the older drugs, but with fewer side effects. However, the incidence of diabetes, excessive weight gain, hyperglycemia, pancreatitis and other blood sugar disorders with the newer drugs is high and was not disclosed to patients when the drugs went on the market. If you took Zyprexa, Risperdal or Seroquel and would like information about pursuing a legal claim against the manufacturers for side effects you suffered, contact Mark & Associates, P.C. today for a free case review.
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