Schizophrenia affects approximately 1.1{2997f8544d703ffd995cbf0748d9148f9150b33c2eb54c93a5197645ffc3f066} of the world’s population. In the United States roughly 3.5 million people are diagnosed with schizophrenia. It is a chronic mental disorder that affects how a person thinks, feels and behaves. Symptoms include hallucinations, delusions, paranoia, disorganized speech, inability to focus and make decisions, and difficulty feeling or expressing emotions.
Often people with schizophrenia seem like they have lost touch with reality. It can be a very disabling mental illness and is one of the leading causes for disability in the U.S. It is also one of the most misunderstood mental illnesses.
Some people believe that a person with schizophrenia has multiple personalities. That is not true. A person with schizophrenia may have lost touch with reality, but they do not have two different personalities. Another misconception is that people with schizophrenia are all dangerous, violent and should be in a mental hospital. While people with schizophrenia may be unpredictable, most are not violent especially if they are receiving treatment. They are able to live harmoniously with family members or in an assisted living community. In addition, many people with schizophrenia can hold a job after they determine a treatment plan that works for them.
Treatment challenges
Like depression, schizophrenia can be a difficult mental illness to treat. First off, it is difficult to diagnose. There is not a lab test to diagnose the disease and certain drugs like LSD can cause a person to have schizophrenia-like symptoms. Once a person is diagnosed, treatment remains a challenge—roughly 50{2997f8544d703ffd995cbf0748d9148f9150b33c2eb54c93a5197645ffc3f066} of people who are diagnosed with schizophrenia have not received treatment. This is largely due to the fact that many people with the illness may not believe they have schizophrenia, so they resist medication and treatment. In addition, schizophrenia medications often have negative side effects, such as weight gain, blurry vision and sexual dysfunction. As a result, patients will stop taking their medications against physician’s orders.
People with schizophrenia usually develop the illness between 16 and 25 years of age and there are several factors that may cause the disorder. Genetics definitely play a role; people with a family history of schizophrenia are at a higher risk to develop the disorder. However, just because a parent or sibling has schizophrenia does not mean you will automatically have the disorder too. Environment is also a factor. For example, exposure to viruses or malnutrition during the early stages of pregnancy may increase the risk of schizophrenia. In addition, problems with brain chemistry, including the neurotransmitters dopamine, serotonin and glutamate, may contribute to schizophrenia.
TMS as treatment option
There is no cure for schizophrenia, so the goal of treatment is to reduce the severity of symptoms and the risk of a relapse that would require hospitalization. The treatment options typically include stress management, education, psychotherapy and antipsychotic medications. It’s crucial for patients to stick to their treatment regimen, which can be challenging because not all patients take their medications consistently. There are also an estimated 20{2997f8544d703ffd995cbf0748d9148f9150b33c2eb54c93a5197645ffc3f066} to 60{2997f8544d703ffd995cbf0748d9148f9150b33c2eb54c93a5197645ffc3f066} of patients who have schizophrenia that is resistant to treatment.
Currently, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) therapy is not FDA-approved for the treatment of schizophrenia. However, TMS is being studied as a treatment alternative in order to help schizophrenic patients who are resistant to traditional treatments or suffer adverse side effects from antipsychotic medication.
Studies have shown that brain activity is different in people with schizophrenia than the general population. So the hope is that the TMS device, which uses magnetic pulses to electrically stimulate nerve cells in small regions of the brain, can balance the brain chemistry in schizophrenic patients to relieve symptoms. To date, there has been insufficient evidence as to the effectiveness of TMS to treat patients with schizophrenia. This is due in part to the relatively small number of participants in the studies.
However, recently a study found that TMS therapy targeted at a region in the brain linked to language might help relieve voice hallucination symptoms in schizophrenic patients.
“This is the first controlled trial to precisely determine an anatomically defined brain area where high frequency magnetic pulses can improve the hearing of voices,” explained Sonia Dollfus, MD, PhD, the lead researcher of the study and head of the mental health department with the Hospital Center University of Caen in France.
The researchers focused on a language-associated part of the brain’s temporal lobe and increased the frequency of the magnetic pulses from one stimulation per second to 20 per second. The study split 60 schizophrenic patients into two groups—one receiving TMS treatment and the other receiving a sham TMS treatment. After two weeks, researchers found that more than one-third of those in the TMS group experienced a 30 percent drop in voice hallucinations, compared to nine percent in the sham treatment group. No major side effects were observed in the TMS group, but the results were temporary. Additional research is needed to improve the efficacy and longevity of TMS treatment for auditory hallucinations in schizophrenic patients.
If you think you or a loved one may suffer from schizophrenia, talk to a physician immediately. Schizophrenia is a very serious chronic mental disorder that can have devastating consequences if left untreated.
TMS Neuro Institute in Los Angeles uses TMS therapy to help patients with treatment resistant depression. To schedule a consultation, call 888.823.4867 or book an appointment online here.