Homeopathy for Schizophrenia

What is Schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe, and disabling brain disorder. It affects about 1 percent of people all over the world.

People with schizophrenia may hear voices other people don’t hear or believe that others are reading their minds, controlling their thoughts, or plotting to harm them. These experiences are terrifying and can cause fearfulness, withdrawal, or extreme agitation.

People with schizophrenia may not make sense when they talk, may sit for hours without moving or talking much, or can seem perfectly fine until they talk about what they are really thinking. Since many people with schizophrenia have difficulty holding a job or caring for themselves, the burden on their families and society is significant as well.

Schizophrenia is a major mental illness characterized by persistent defects in the perception or expression of reality. A person suffering from untreated schizophrenia typically demonstrates grossly disorganized thinking, and may also experience delusions or auditory hallucinations. Although the illness primarily affects cognition, it can also contribute to chronic problems with behavior or emotions. Schizophrenia may develop so gradually that the family and even the person with the disease may not realize that anything is wrong for a long period of time.

Homeopathic treatment of Schizophrenia

Homeopathy is one of the most popular holistic systems of medicine. The selection of remedy is based upon the theory of individualization and symptoms similarity by using holistic approach. This is the only way through which a state of complete health can be regained by removing all the sign and symptoms from which the patient is suffering. The aim of homeopathy is not only to treat schizophrenia but to address its underlying cause and individual susceptibility. As far as therapeutic medication is concerned, several remedies are available to treat schizophrenia that can be selected on the basis of cause, sensations and modalities of the complaints.  For individualized remedy selection and treatment, the patient should consult a qualified homeopathic doctor in person. There are following remedies which are helpful in the treatment of schizophrenia:

 Belladonna – patient imagines that he sees ghosts, hideous faces, animals, and insects. He fears these imaginary things and wants to run away. Patient breaks into fits of laughter or screams; he gnashes his teeth with inclination to bite others; strikes those around him. Patients loses his memory of all things and becomes wild; he wants to run away from all his attendants; aversion to noise, company and light; hot head, cold hands and feet, hydrophobia. Finally the person becomes pale as the stupor increases.

Hyoscyamus – paranoid state when the person is convinced that the people are trying to poison him. He refuses food and drink in fear of poison. Jealousy motivates the behaviors including the violent outburst; the person becomes shameless and exposes his/her genitals to anyone, plays with his genitals ceaselessly. Increased sexual desire and behaviors; person imagines a queer kind of paper on the wall and he keeps imaging strange things about the figures. He talks of imaginary things. Illusion of vermin, rats, mice in the room. Picks up bed clothes; makes no complaints.

Lachesis – great loquacity; amative, sad in the morning; no desire to mix with the world. Restless and uneasy; does not wish to attend to business; wants to be off somewhere all the time. Jealous; mental labor best performed at night; euthanasia; suspicious; nightly delusion of fire; religious insanity; derangement of the time sense.

Anacardium – fixed ideas; hallucinations; thinks he is possessed of two persons or wills; anxiety when walking, as if pursued; profound melancholy and hypochondriasis, with tendency to use violent language. Brainfag. Impaired memory. Absent mindedness. Very easily offended. Malicious; seems bent on wickedness. Lack of confidence in himself or other. Suspicious; clairaudient, hears voices far away or of the dead; senile dementia; absence of all moral restraint.

Stramonium – active variable delirium; raving mania with cold sweat; religious insanity; the talk by others is intolerable; self accusation; loss of reason or speech; strange absurd ideas-thinks himself tall, double, lying crosswise, one half of the body cut off, etc. laughs at night, weeps during day; lascivious talk; limbs feel separated from the body; fear and anxiety on hearing water run; maniac, curses, tears ones clothes with teeth. Violent speech. Exposes the part. Stupid; imbecile; sits silent, eyes on ground, picking at her clothes; wants to kill people or himself; wife thinks husband neglecting her, man thinks his wife faithless.

Aurum Met – feeling of self condemnation and utter worthlessness; profound despondency, with thoughts of suicide; talks of committing suicide; great fear of death; peevish and vehement at least contradiction; anthrophobia; mental derangements. Constant rapid questioning without waiting for reply; cannot do things fast enough; over sensitiveness to noise, excitement, confusion.

Other important medicines for schizophrenia:

Kali Brom, Cannabis Indica, Kreosote, Cuprum Met, Arsenic Album, Platina, Mercurius, Medorrhinum, Carcinosin, Phosphorous, Phosphoric Acid, Nux Vomica, Agaricus, Picric Acid, Calcaria Phos, Sulphur, Ignatia, Lycopodium and many other medicines.

Causes of schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is  a complex disorder, exact case of schizophrenia has yet not been found but there are several theories about the causes of schizophrenia:

Hereditary – risk of developing schizophrenia is increased if parents has the disorder

Chemical effects – it is believed that people having schizophrenia are either sensitive or produce increased dopamine( neurotransmitter,  that send allow nerve cells in the brain to send messages to each other).

Structural abnormalities in brain – many researchers believe that structural abnormalities in brain such as enlarged ventricles, or small sized brain area can be associated with schizophrenia.

Pregnancy or childbirth  complications  – some researchers believe that  complications during pregnancy such as malnutrition or infection may increase the risk of developing schizophrenia in the baby later stages.

Clinical symptoms of schizophrenia

Positive symptoms

• Excess or distortion of normal functions
• Delusions
• Conceptual disorganizations
• Hallucinations (auditory, visual, or other sensory mode)
• Excitement or agitation
• Hostility or aggressive behavior
• Suspiciousness, ideas of reference
• Pressurized speech
• Bizarre dress or behavior
• Possible suicidal tendencies

Negative symptoms

• Diminution or loss of normal functions
• Loss of interest or pleasure
• Lack of energy
• Emotional withdrawal
• Poor eye contact
• Blunted affect or affective flattering
• Apathetic, social withdrawal
• Difficulty in abstract thinking
• Lack of spontaneous and flow of conversation
• Dysfunctional relationship with others

Disorganized symptoms

• Cognitive defects/confusion
• Disorganized speech
• Incoherent speech
• Repetitive rhythmic gestures
• Attentions deficits.

Diagnostic characteristics of schizophrenia

• Evidence of two or more of the following:
• Delusion
• Hallucinations
• Disorganized or catatonic behavior
• Negative symptoms
• Above symptoms present for a major portion of the time during a 1- month period.
• Significant impairment in work or interpersonal relations, or self care below the level of previous function.
• Demonstration of problems continuously for at least a 6-month interval.
• Symptoms unrelated to schizoaffective disorder and mood disorder with psychotic symptoms and not the result of a substance related disorder or medical condition.

Expectations (prognosis) for Schizophrenia

There are many different potential outcomes of schizophrenia. Most people with schizophrenia find that their symptoms improve with medication, and some achieve substantial control of the symptoms over time. However, others experience functional disability and are at risk for repeated acute episodes, particularly during the early stages of the illness. Supported housing, vocational rehabilitation, and other community support programs may be essential to their community tenure. People with the most severe forms of this disorder may remain too disabled to live independently, requiring group homes or other long-term, structured living environments.

Some cases of Schizophrenia Cured with Homeopathic Medicine

Paranoid Schizophrenia in a Boy of 14 – by Kavita R. Chandak

A Case of Schizophrenia – by George Vithoulkas

Memory Loss, Schizophrenia – by Ellen Kire

A Case of Childhood Schizophrenia – by Jawahar Shah

A Case of Bipolar Disorder – by Julius Fernandes

It Is Only Me Here and Now, Light and Nothing Else A Case of Neon – by Roma Buchimensky