Schizophrenia is a chronic illness that affects a person’s ability to think and react emotionally. Patients with schizophrenia may be under the impression that they have lost touch with reality. This feeling leads to changes in their personality due to “positive,” “negative,” and cognitive symptoms.

Disorganized speech, changes in behavior, and reduced participation in social activities are among the common symptoms of the condition. The treatment for schizophrenia is mostly ongoing and employs a combination of medications, therapies, and self-care programs to manage the condition.

Here are five common treatment therapies for schizophrenia.

Psychotherapy
A person suffering from schizophrenia must learn to cope and deal with their thoughts and behaviors. Individual psychotherapy is recommended by psychiatrists to inform and educate the patient about the illness which will help them manage the condition accordingly.

Psychosocial therapy
Schizophrenia results in multiple symptoms ranging from behavioral changes like social isolation, agitation, aggression, and self-harm to speech impairments like rapid and frenzied speaking, incoherent speech, and even circumstantial speech. To overcome these problems, medical professionals usually recommend a psychosocial approach. Psychosocial schizophrenia treatment is a combination of social skills training, rehabilitation, education, coordinated specialty care, assertive community treatment, and social recovery therapy. Patients must also learn to overcome social isolation by joining self-help groups, social skills training groups, and community-based programs to hone their communication and interaction skills.

Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)
Patients must also put in some effort to change their patterns of thought and behavior to manage flare-ups of the condition and hallucinations. Here, therapists employ CBT combined with certain medications to manage the stress caused by sudden, and in some cases, severe psychotic episodes.

Cognitive Enhancement Therapy (CET)
Patients with schizophrenia may have trouble distinguishing societal cues and triggers. This information is needed to function in a socially active environment. CET will help patients understand basic social cues and simultaneously improve their ability to gather thoughts, improve focus, attention, and memory. Cognitive engagement boosts brain power and gives the patient a better chance of leading a normal life.

Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)
ECT is a viable alternative for schizophrenic patients who are also suffering from severe depression or catatonia. These problems aggravate the condition, making it difficult for a person to manage the illness with a basic combination of medications and psychotherapy. ECT is a shock treatment administered to cause a controlled seizure in the patient. Controlled seizures improve behavioral and cognitive abilities over the course of the therapy. The duration of this treatment for schizophrenia will vary from patient to patient, depending on the severity of their symptoms.