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What Will Happen If One Is Not Treated For Schizophrenia?
hello doctor
my sister is diagnosed with para phrenia or late onset schitzophrenia
she is unwilling to take medicines and the quality of her family has deterioriated considerable. can she be admitted in the hospital to take medication for a period. also what would this lead to if she is left untreated. Thx
my sister is diagnosed with para phrenia or late onset schitzophrenia
she is unwilling to take medicines and the quality of her family has deterioriated considerable. can she be admitted in the hospital to take medication for a period. also what would this lead to if she is left untreated. Thx
Mon, 22 Sep 2014
Hello and welcome to Healthcare Magic. Thanks for your query.
I understand that you are concerned about your sister's psychiatric problems. Schizophrenia is a chronic mental illness which has a prolonged and sometimes deteriorating course, if left untreated. Medication is required on a long term basis and can only control the illness, not cure it completely. This is why your sister's condition is deteriorating when she is not taking medication.
Unfortunately, patients with Schizophrenia do not have a realization or insight that they have an illness and that they need treatment, This is why they often refuse to take medication. In such situations, there are two options - one is to admit them for a period of time where they can be given medication forcefully or to give them long acting depot injections. Please discuss about these options with her psychiatrist so that the further treatment plan can be decided.
Wish you all the best.
Regards,
Dr. Jonas Sundarakumar MBBS., DPM., MRCPsych.(U.K.)
Consultant Psychiatrist
I understand that you are concerned about your sister's psychiatric problems. Schizophrenia is a chronic mental illness which has a prolonged and sometimes deteriorating course, if left untreated. Medication is required on a long term basis and can only control the illness, not cure it completely. This is why your sister's condition is deteriorating when she is not taking medication.
Unfortunately, patients with Schizophrenia do not have a realization or insight that they have an illness and that they need treatment, This is why they often refuse to take medication. In such situations, there are two options - one is to admit them for a period of time where they can be given medication forcefully or to give them long acting depot injections. Please discuss about these options with her psychiatrist so that the further treatment plan can be decided.
Wish you all the best.
Regards,
Dr. Jonas Sundarakumar MBBS., DPM., MRCPsych.(U.K.)
Consultant Psychiatrist
I find this answer helpful
Hello and welcome to Healthcare Magic. Thanks for your query.
I understand that you are very concerned about your sister's psychiatric problems. You have mentioned that she has been diagnosed with late onset schizophrenia or paraphrenia. Now, this is a serious mental illness which needs treatment with anti-psychotic medication.
Unfortunately, may patients with schizophrenia do not have an insight or understanding about their illness, and so, they refuse treatment. Untreated illness can lead to worsening of symptoms, unmanageability, violence and even risk of suicide. So, it is important to treat it as early as possible.
The options when a person is not taking medication voluntarily are:
1) Admission in a psychiatric hospital for a short period of time till the intensity of the illness comes down
2) Long-acting depot antipsychotic injections, that can be given once in 2 - 4 weeks.
So, please consult a good psychiatrist and discuss about these treatment options.
Wish you all the best.
Regards,
Dr. Jonas Sundarakumar MBBS., DPM., MRCPsych.(U.K.)
Consultant Psychiatrist
I understand that you are very concerned about your sister's psychiatric problems. You have mentioned that she has been diagnosed with late onset schizophrenia or paraphrenia. Now, this is a serious mental illness which needs treatment with anti-psychotic medication.
Unfortunately, may patients with schizophrenia do not have an insight or understanding about their illness, and so, they refuse treatment. Untreated illness can lead to worsening of symptoms, unmanageability, violence and even risk of suicide. So, it is important to treat it as early as possible.
The options when a person is not taking medication voluntarily are:
1) Admission in a psychiatric hospital for a short period of time till the intensity of the illness comes down
2) Long-acting depot antipsychotic injections, that can be given once in 2 - 4 weeks.
So, please consult a good psychiatrist and discuss about these treatment options.
Wish you all the best.
Regards,
Dr. Jonas Sundarakumar MBBS., DPM., MRCPsych.(U.K.)
Consultant Psychiatrist
I find this answer helpful
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