Schizophrenia doctor is one of the doctors who tries to control or treat schizophrenia. Doctors specializing in mental diseases, as guides and saviors of this vital part of health, play a very important role in the lives of people and society. With their expertise, they help people cope with mental disorders and improve their quality of life. The presence and efforts of these professionals is a light in the darkness of mental problems and brings hope to a healthy and fruitful life in people. One of the most challenging mental illnesses is schizophrenia. We will continue to examine the usual approaches of a schizophrenic doctor to deal with this disease. Challenges of coping with schizophrenia
Coping with schizophrenia is a complex and multifaceted challenge for mental illness doctors. This disease, with its diverse and sometimes contradictory symptoms, makes diagnosis and treatment difficult. On the one hand, doctors must face the patient's delusions and hallucinations, which often distort reality, and on the other hand, they must analyze his complex and variable emotional states and behaviors. Also, working with patients who are often resistant to treatment requires patience, empathy and strong communication skills. The challenges related to the side effects of antipsychotic drugs and the need to accurately adjust the doses are also challenges for a schizophrenic doctor to deal with this disease. They should also communicate effectively with patients' families and help them understand the disease and provide appropriate support. Finally, continuous and long-term follow-up of affected people, in order to prevent the recurrence of the disease and maintain their quality of life, requires a lot of commitment and perseverance. What skills does a schizophrenic doctor have? The skills of a schizophrenic doctor include the ability to perform comprehensive clinical evaluations for an accurate diagnosis based on standard criteria (such as DSM or ICD), in-depth knowledge of antipsychotic medications and their side-effect management, and skill in providing or coordinating various types of psychotherapy (such as CBT for psychosis, social cognitive therapy).
Read What is the difference between psychosis and schizophrenia? | A full review of the differences
Some other skills of these professionals include:
- Ability to communicate effectively and empathetically with patients and their families
- Skill in crisis management and acute periods of illness
Ability to collaborate with other mental health professionals to provide comprehensive care
Diagnostic methods used by a schizophrenic doctor
Schizophrenia, as a chronic mental disorder, is still very unknown and complex; Therefore, there is still no accurate and definitive diagnosis method for this disease. In order to diagnose a person as a schizophrenic patient, experts pay attention to the main symptoms. Although this method also makes the work more difficult due to the similarity of some of the symptoms of this disease with other mental and physical diseases. In general, the symptoms of this disease are hallucinations, delusions, and slurred speech, and it mostly occurs in late adolescence or middle age. In order for doctors to diagnose a person with this disease, he must have two of the symptoms for a period of six months. Some medical methods for diagnosing this mental disorder and its progress:
- **brain tape:** recording the electrical activities of the brain
- **Brain map:** Recording communication signals between brain neurons and observing the more active parts of the brain
Individual and social approaches in dealing with schizophrenia
Doctors specializing in mental diseases in individual and social approaches to deal with schizophrenia, considering the complexities of this disease, try to provide comprehensive treatment plans. At the individual level, they manage psychotic symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations by prescribing antipsychotic drugs and help patients strengthen coping skills and adapt to the challenges of everyday life by using psychotherapy methods.
Read Types of schizophrenia | Symptoms and the best methods of managing and treating symptoms
At the social level, doctors provide necessary training to families, empower them to understand the disease and provide appropriate support to the patient, and by providing social rehabilitation facilities, they help patients to learn social, occupational and independent life skills and actively participate in society. Also, social support, such as participating in support groups and receiving social services, helps to reduce isolation and improve the quality of life of patients. RTMS prescribed by a schizophrenic doctor
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (RTMS) is a non-invasive method that has been considered as a treatment option for some symptoms of schizophrenia in recent years. In this method, the doctor sends short and repeated pulses to certain areas of the brain using a magnetic device. These pulses can change the activity of nerve cells in these areas and help reduce some of the symptoms of this disease. Medical professionals may recommend RTMS to their patients as an adjunctive treatment alongside antipsychotics and psychotherapy. In general, rTMS is considered for people who have not responded well to antipsychotic medications or are experiencing severe side effects. Also, this method can be useful for reducing the negative symptoms of schizophrenia such as lack of motivation, low speech and social isolation. However, it is important to note that RTMS is not a definitive treatment method for this disease and its results are different in different people. Comparison of ETC and RTMS methods
Cranial Magnetic Brain Stimulation or RTMS and Electroshock Therapy or ECT are two methods of brain stimulation that are used in the treatment of schizophrenia, but they have fundamental differences in the way they work and side effects. Brain shock or electroconvulsive therapy is a more invasive method than RTMS that produces controlled seizures. This procedure requires anesthesia and can cause short-term memory loss.
Read What is the schizophrenia test? + Free test at home
Some of the features of RTMS are:
- **Less side effects:** It usually has fewer side effects than ECT and does not require anesthesia
- **Reduction of disease symptoms:** It is used to reduce certain symptoms such as auditory hallucinations and negative symptoms of this disease.
- **Can be used along with medication:** As a complementary treatment, it is recommended to patients along with antipsychotic drugs and psychotherapy.
Treatment of neurological and mental disorders with RTMS at the Neural Brain and Neurology Center
The method of magnetic brain stimulation or RTMS is a new method in the treatment and control of chronic and unknown mental diseases that has replaced the brain shock method. This method has fewer complications and is more suitable for many patients. At Neurali Brain and Neurology Center, RTMS treatment services are performed with the best equipment by Dr. Elias Ebrahimzadeh, post-doctorate in medical engineering and neuroscience.