Schizophrenia is a complex psychotic disorder marked by sudden changes in thinking, emotions, and behavior lasting six months or longer. Schizophrenia involves psychosis, or when a person can’t tell the difference between what’s real and imagined.

Symptoms of schizophrenia are classified as:

• Positive, or excessive distortion or function: delusions, hallucinations, and bizarre thinking and behavior
• Negative, or reduced function: lack of speech, lack of emotion or expression, or withdrawal

Specifically, people with schizophrenia may have:

• Catatonic (unresponsive) movement or expression
• Childlike or excessive movement or postures
• Difficulty telling dreams, or even TV shows, from reality
• Exaggerated self-worth or unrealistic sense of superiority
• Impaired judgement and substance abuse
• Incoherent or derailed conversations
• Monotone speech
• Neglected personal hygiene
• Social isolation
• Unshakable suspicions that someone, or something, will cause harm
• Visions or voices that are not there

Early signs of schizophrenia in teens include withdrawal from family and friends, and poor academic performance. Treatment can involve inpatient (hospital stay) and outpatient (clinic) therapies.

Let us help you or a loved one find balance. Schedule a free initial assessment for schizophrenia with a psychiatrist from the University of Miami Health System.

Treatments

Biofeedback and Stress Management
Biofeedback is a non-invasive treatment that trains your mind to control the physical effects of stress or a health condition, including brain activity, blood pressure, muscle tension, body temperature, and more. Biofeedback involves sensors (electrodes) placed on your body, and special therapies taught by a certified biofeedback therapist.

Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)
ECT uses a small amount of electric current that is believed to reverse symptoms of mental disorders. The current, delivered through sensors (electrodes) on the scalp, causes brief, controlled seizures that change brain chemistry. ECT requires six to 12 treatments, performed in an outpatient setting under general anesthesia.

Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy, or talk therapy, explores how a health condition affects your thoughts, emotions, behavior, and mood, and how to cope. There are many forms of psychotherapy, including cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) to change your thinking or behavior, and interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) to improve your relationships. Psychotherapy is offered in groups or individually.

Psychopharmacology
Psychopharmacology is the study of the use of medications in treating mental health disorders. Psychiatrists prescribe medications to improve symptoms of mental health disorders. Common medications include one, or a combination of, antidepressants, mood stabilizers, anti-psychotic drugs, anti-anxiety medicines, and stimulants. Our psychiatrists study these medicines to understand how they work and affect the body, and skillfully apply this knowledge in their daily practice.

Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS)
This non-invasive form of brain stimulation treats depression and anxiety that does not respond well to medicines or psychotherapy (talk therapy). It involves a head coil that delivers magnetic pulses to brain cells. These pulses change specific areas in the brain responsible for mood, memory, addiction, and more. rTMS is performed without anesthesia, in daily outpatient sessions for four to six weeks.

Why Choose UHealth?

Leading research and care for schizophrenia and co-existing mental illness. As an academic research and medical center, we’re leading research into better ways to identify and treat schizophrenia and alcohol and substance use disorders. This means you get evidence-based care, based on your special needs.

Greater access to UHealth specialists. With more than 30 clinical sites across South Florida, UHealth patients are able to receive the excellence of academic health care without leaving the area.