Disorders & Medication Schizophrenia The main positive symptoms are hallucinations,delusions,thought disorders and paranoia.Negative symptoms include apathy,social withdrawal,lethargy and povery of speech and thought.The cognitive symptoms affect the ability of a sufferer to reason,concentrate,solve problems or understand complex idea. In the past treatment has been with traditional anti-psychotics such as chlorpromazine(Largactil) and haloperidol (Serenace).These drugs were good at treating positive symptoms but had many side-effects and many patients found these unpleasant. Treatment is now increasingly with the newer atypical anti-psychotics like olanzapine(Zyprexa) and risperidone (Risperdal).They are more effective against the symptoms than the traditional drugs and have far fewer troublesome side-effects. For many years it was thought that a malfunction of the dopamine nuerotransmitter mechanism in the brain was the key to unlocking the ‘mystery’ of schizophrenia.However,it is now accepted that schizophrenia is far more complex and many other factors are implicated. Recent research has shown that cannabis use can trigger a bout of schizophrenia in susceptible people.The illness usually starts in young adults and can be a lifelong illness requiring long term medication.It is very important not to suddenly stop taking medication medication as this can lead to a relapse into psychosis.Some sufferers may only experiance one bout of illness though others may relapse from time to time. Back to the Disorders & Medication menu