Schizophrenia Treatment At Bedrock Recovery Center

If you are concerned that you are or may be experiencing symptoms of schizophrenia, Bedrock Recovery Center can help. Like other mental health disorders, schizophrenia is considered a lifelong condition, and relapses may occur, but long-term recovery is possible with the appropriate care.

Our short-term residential program can help you stabilize during a crisis, while providing you with the treatment, support, and tools necessary for lasting recovery. This includes proven-effective treatment approaches as well as access to wellness activities and life skills training for adopting a healthy lifestyle in support of your mental health and overall well-being.

How We Treat Schizophrenia At Bedrock

People with serious mental illnesses like schizophrenia often benefit most from a multidisciplinary approach to treatment or one that provides a team of health professionals trained in different specialties.

At BRC, your care team consists of a psychiatrist, psychiatric nurse practitioners and other nurses, master’s-level counselors and therapists, case managers, and other highly qualified staff.

Your treatment begins with an evaluation and assessment to determine your care needs, including diagnosis if applicable, and provide a personalized treatment plan. Your care team will take into consideration your own goals in recovery when recommending treatment.

Common treatment options for schizophrenia include:

• antipsychotic medications
• psychotherapy, including family therapy
• life skills education
• dual diagnosis treatment, for people with co-occurring substance use disorder

While receiving mental health treatment at Bedrock, you will stay in one of our recently renovated semi-private suites, with private suites available if medical need necessitates. Nutritious meals are provided every day, along with opportunities to participate in prosocial and wellness activities like yoga, meditation, exercise classes, movie and game nights, and more.

Medication

Medication can reduce your symptoms of schizophrenia. First-generation antipsychotics such as haloperidol and second-generation antipsychotics such as clozapine are commonly prescribed to manage schizophrenia.

Your care team at BRC may adjust your medication, such as changing the dosage or replacing the medication with a more effective option, until the desired outcomes are achieved.

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy, or talk therapy, can help you understand your own mind and deal with your symptoms effectively. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is one evidence-based form of psychotherapy for treating schizophrenia available at BRC.

Family psychoeducation therapy at Bedrock can help your family members or other loved ones better understand your disorder and thus provide you with better support.

Other Treatment Options

Peer support groups, life skills education, and dual diagnosis treatment are just a few of the other recovery options available at BRC.

Our peer support groups help you connect with other people who have had similar life experiences, gain a broader perspective, and feel less alone. Life skills training is based on your particular needs, and may include help developing healthy stress-management skills, vocational assistance, and more. Dual diagnosis treatment involves treating both schizophrenia and co-occurring substance use disorder at the same time for the best results.

Learn More About Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a psychotic disorder characterized by a break from reality. If you have schizophrenia, you may have trouble telling what is real and what is not. Changes in your reality can cause psychotic symptoms and difficulties in thinking or moving properly. Without treatment, this can lead to increasingly unusual behavior and a decreased quality of life.

Types Of Schizophrenic Symptoms

Schizophrenia can affect your perception, mood, behavior, and motor functions.

The symptoms of schizophrenia can be divided into several categories:

• psychotic symptoms: changes in perception, affecting how you think, talk, and feel
• negative symptoms: apathy, lack of emotion when talking, loss of energy
• cognitive symptoms: strange speech patterns, trouble focusing, repetitive or abnormal movements

People with schizophrenia may experience some or all of these symptoms.

Diagnosis Of Schizophrenia

Symptoms of schizophrenia may not start until early to mid-adulthood. A diagnosis typically follows the first psychotic episode, with symptoms lasting at least six months. Your doctor can rule out other health conditions that may be causing your symptoms and refer you to a mental health treatment program or specialist.

Signs & Symptoms Of Schizophrenia

Symptoms refer to what a person experiences themselves in regard to a specific condition, while signs refer to what other people may notice.

Signs and symptoms of schizophrenia may include:

• hallucinations (seeing, hearing, or feeling things that aren’t there)
• delusions (strong, irrational beliefs)
• abnormal thinking and speaking patterns
• lack of emotion when talking
• difficulty carrying out daily tasks
• repetitive movements
• withdrawing from social situations or groups
• catatonia (sitting still and not speaking for long periods of time)

Changes in your mood, cognition, and perception can start before your first psychotic episode. In severe cases, people experiencing a psychotic episode may require inpatient care.

Risk Factors

Risk factors for schizophrenia may include a family history of schizophrenia, substance abuse, and pregnancy complications such as malnutrition or sickness. Alcohol or drug use can also worsen existing symptoms.

Schizophrenia is linked to changes in dopamine and glutamate levels in your brain. These neurotransmitters allow your brain to function normally.

Cannabis use, especially during teenage years, has been linked to an increased risk of schizophrenia later in life.

Statistics

Schizophrenia affects less than 1 percent of the United States population but comes with a higher risk of suicide, heart disease, and diabetes, making treatment especially critical.

Studies show that anywhere between 30 and 70 percent of people with schizophrenia also have a substance use disorder.

Find Treatment Today

To learn if our residential schizophrenia treatment program is right for you or a loved one, please contact us today.