Schizophrenia symptoms can come on slowly, and patients may not even realize that their symptoms are out of the ordinary. This is another reason that makes education about schizophrenia and learning the schizophrenia signs so important. Currently, there are very few tests that doctors can perform to determine a schizophrenia diagnosis. The primary diagnosis method involves the doctor observing the patient’s symptoms and checking references against their medical history. However, it may soon be possible to determine if someone is likely to develop schizophrenia through the use of a blood test. When a person is schizophrenic, certain chemicals in their brain are created at different levels form someone with a healthy brain. These levels are currently very hard to detect, but the researchers at the Merrel Mental Health Center are pioneering a new diagnostic technique that may give doctors another tool to call upon when attempting to diagnose schizophrenia.
Along with creating a new diagnostic strategy, Merrel Mental Health is also working to develop a more effective and safer method to treat schizophrenia. Currently, schizophrenia can be controlled through schizophrenia treatment, but many of the most popular methods, including the use of antipsychotics, can have severe side effects that in some cases are more painful for the patient than schizophrenia itself. Merrel works closely with patients to develop new schizophrenia medications that are equally effective, or more effective, while also having fewer side effects than the medicines that are currently in use. Schizophrenia treatments have continued to evolve, and most now involve some combination of therapy and medication. Merrel is continuing to research the effects of therapy on patients with schizophrenia, and hopes to soon have a solid medical analysis of how therapy can help a patient with schizophrenia.