'Schizophrenia is a brain disease, not a mental illness'

'Schizophrenia is a brain disease, not a mental illness'

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A schizophrenic who takes his medication is no different from a normal person

The diagnosis of schizophrenia in Mahmut Can Kalkan, a university student who killed his parents by making them drink cyanide sherbet in Izmir, has once again brought schizophrenia and the measures that can be taken to the national agenda. Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan made important evaluations about schizophrenia and cases.
Üsküdar University Rector, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan gave important information about the cyanide horror in Izmir and schizophrenia.
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, "Schizophrenia is a disease that can be diagnosed very easily with an examination when it is brought to a physician when families detect some behavioral and thought disorders."

Schizophrenia is not a disease that can be fixed with advice!

"Schizophrenia is a disease in which the decision-making area of the brain is impaired. The person perceives, interprets and responds to information that comes into their mind or that they perceive from outside. The frontal region of the brain does this. Research on schizophrenia has shown that the frontal region of the brain does not work well. In other words, the frontal region of the brain causes faulty decision-making. This is a condition that needs to be treated. Therefore, schizophrenia is not a disease that can be cured with advice, various suggestions and psychotherapies. Schizophrenia is a brain disease. The chemistry of the brain is disrupted, the frontal region of the brain works without connecting with other parts of the brain."

Schizophrenia is not a mental but a brain disease

"Recent brain measurements and brain function tests reveal the following: The frontal region (decision-making area) of the brain of schizophrenia patients does not work well. The perceiving areas of the brain, the interpreting areas and the decision-making areas are disconnected from each other. Recent studies on brain functions show that schizophrenia is a brain disease, not a mental illness," Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said:

These people have a piece of information in their minds. For example, a person with schizophrenia or paranoid disorder has a feeling that says, 'These people are not your parents, they are the devil disguised as your parents'. Normally, the human brain needs to do a reality test immediately. He cannot do the reality test, he believes the absurd thought that comes to his mind and writes a scenario about it. If the attitude of the parents is not open, transparent and clear, that little doubt turns into delusion and a schizophrenic picture emerges.

Awareness of the parents is of great importance

People with schizophrenia have inappropriate moods. In other words, they talk, laugh, talk nonsense, etc., which are not appropriate for the place or situation. Whether it is schizophrenia or psychosis can only be determined by general observation and various examinations. Forensic psychiatry units should examine the recent incident in Izmir and make a definitive diagnosis. Parents can sometimes be love-blind, they cannot question their child's behavior because they love them too much. They interpret it in a certain way and cause the illness to grow. Therefore, the awareness of the parents is very important here. What parents can do here is to trust scientific knowledge. If traditional knowledge is confirmed by scientific knowledge, it is good and useful. But if it is not validated by scientific knowledge, in such cases, a price is usually paid.

They take the suspected person to a psychic, not a doctor

In our society, when people suspect the diagnosis of schizophrenia based on their behavior, they do not take them to a doctor, but to psychics, people who deal with magic spells, and these people distract them by saying, 'You are haunted by three letters,' etc. In the meantime, these illnesses and cases emerge. In the meantime, these diseases and cases emerge."

Schizophrenia requires a biological treatment

Underlining the need for a biological treatment for schizophrenia that will correct brain chemistry, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan,
"Schizophrenia needs to be treated in the same way as a broken foot needs to be treated. Schizophrenia is a biological disease. On this occasion, I think that schizophrenia in Turkey is a brain disease and just like when a part of the body is paralyzed, it is necessary to go to a neurologist to get treatment, here, too, these people should go to the relevant specialist and awareness should be raised."

"If a person with schizophrenia takes their medication, they are no different from normal people in terms of aggression"

Üsküdar University Rector Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, "If a person with schizophrenia takes his medication, he is no different from a normal person in terms of aggression."

"People with schizophrenia usually do not believe that they are sick, they do not have disease awareness. For this reason, they hide their medication under their tongue, etc. because they are not aware of their illness. In such cases, the parents say, 'Let's give it a try,' and this is how these incidents occur.
If a person is diagnosed with schizophrenia, the first priority here, the red warning, is whether they take their medication or not. It is useful for them to pay attention to that."

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CreatorNP Istanbul Hospital Editorial Board
Updated At05 March 2024
Created At18 May 2019
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