Case Study on Schizophrenia and Asymptomatic Antipsychotics

Running head: SCHIZOPHRENIA AND ASYMPTOMATIC ANTIPSYCHOTICS
Case Study on Schizophrenia
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

SCHIZOPHRENIA AND ASYMPTOMATIC ANTIPSYCHOTICS
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Introduction
Around the world, schizophrenia is one of the most painful mental health disorders,
and it affects the thinking, feeling, and behaviors of the individuals. However, it is also true
that this disease is not common, like other mental health problems. While defining
schizophrenia disease, it can be stated that it is a complex chronic condition that affects the
neuronal functions of the individuals. In this context, it can be mentioned that the disease is
mainly associated with the alteration of the thinking behaviors of the individuals and this
emotion of the individual is also altered due to this disease condition (Mental Health
Foundation 2020).
Moreover, in some cases, this disease also affects the perception of the individual. In
the case of Schizophrenia in UK, it is stated that the rate of this mental health disorder is very
high in the country and it is observed that almost one out of six people in UK need the
treatment for the issue of mental health disorder in their overall lifetime. Therefore, it can be
stated that the impact of the mental health disorder in the country is quite high (Hayes et
al.2017). In this regard, it should be mentioned that among all the mental health disorders in
UK, schizophrenia is a significant contributor to the overall disease condition and the data of
the NHS stated that almost 220,000 people are treated for this disease condition in the
country. Moreover, it is also noted that the patients who are suffering from this condition,
have a chance of dying by 5 per cent to 10 per cent cases that is almost 5 to 10 per cent
patients of schizophrenia may face mortality due to their disease condition (Mental Health
Foundation 2020). According to the study of Falkenburg and Tracy (2014), it is stated that
the effect of schizophrenia is not at all gender-biased that is the disease affects the individuals
equally irrespective of their gender. The mortality rate of the patients showed that the chances
of dying among the schizophrenic patients are two and half times higher than that of the
normal population of the country and thus this disease condition must be treated seriously.

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While discussing the most risky ages of the patients to have the disease, it can be stated that
most of the patients have this disease in their late teens and early twenties. However, it is also
reported that among the women the disease strikes later than that of the men population of the
country and it is said that in case of late onset of the disease, the condition can attack the
person in the late 70s as well (Mental Health Foundation 2020).
In this essay, the case study of a patient suffering from the disease is discussed. Along
with this, the management measures of the disease, the impact of the disease on the patients
and family members, features of the disease, supportive actions taken by the caregivers are
also discussed in the latter part of the essay.
Description of the Patient
In this essay, the case study of a patient suffering from the mental health problem that
is schizophrenia is discussed. The patient is a 21-year-old male white British and he is
referred to as Adrian as per his pseudonym. Adrian was diagnosed with this disease at the
age of 19 and it was reported that his mental and behavioral problems were mainly due to the
practice of cannabinoid consumption and along with this, it was also reported that a trait of
emotionally unstable personality disorder along with the problem of Asperser’s syndrome
was also detected in Adrian. Initially, the patient was not ready to accept his disease
condition; however later, Adrian agreed to his condition. Due to his disease condition, the
patient was very sad and that was the reason he was not at all ready to accept his condition.
He has a long-standing recurrent history of not compliant with his medication and this has
caused various hospital admission cases since his last 2 years. His medical history also stated
that he was accused under section 2 of the Mental Health Act when he became erratic in
nature and that time caseworker and support worker called the police. Then the patient was
transferred to another hospital from the current hospital due to aggression, self-harm

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behaviour and paranoia behaviour. As a part of his disease, he complained about hearing
voices and issue of hallucination was also reported by the patients. Adrian stated that he
listened to a specific sound that provides him instructions and commands him about what to
do to the people. Not only this, but the patient also reported that the particular voice also
instructed to do self-harm, attack people and this voice also tells him to kill himself.
Moreover Adrian also stated that the he believed that this voice had complete control over his
speech and body language. As a part of the management, it is reported that the voice also
instructed him to perform various activities and a case of self-harm by using blade on his arm
was also reported by the health care professionals in the hospital. Therefore, the issue of
aggression was reported when he pulled the hair of a female staff in the hospital and later he
admitted that it was the voice that instructed him to do so. As a part of his medication the
hospital authority provided him a few pharmacological and non-pharmacological
interventions.
Features of the Mental Health Problem
While discussing about the features of the disease that is schizophrenia, it can be
stated that there are a few standard features of this mental health problem and they are mainly
negative symptoms, delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thinking.
The first characteristic of this disease is negative symptoms that is a severe and
debilitating condition of the mental health condition of the individual and in this regard, it can
be stated that this mental health problem can alter the thinking and emotional behaviors of the
individuals and it is reported that these negative symptoms among the patients suffering from
this particular disease (Imak 2014). As a part of the negative traits, it can be stated that the
patient showed the avoidance behavior when making eye contact with the health café
professionals or other caregivers of the family. Along with this, social withdrawal behaviors