Have you wondered what part of the brain does schizophrenia affect? This complex brain disorder causes many problems in your life, as well as for those you love. So how does this condition affect your life and where in the brain do these problems occur?
About Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia affects your ability to see reality. Instead, your life spirals out of control as you develop a range of effects, including:
- False beliefs
- Disorganized thoughts and speech
- Seeing objects that are not present
- Hearing voices
- Emotional detachment
- Emotional instability
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, one in every 100 American men and women suffer schizophrenia. Many of these people also struggle with substance abuse and addiction. Together, schizophrenia and addiction require dual diagnosis treatment. Without this help, your mental health and addiction only grow worse over time.
What Part Of the Brain Does Schizophrenia Affect?
Schizophrenia affects genders equally in the U.S. When it comes to answering the question of, “What part of the brain does schizophrenia affect,” the disorder involves multiple regions of the brain. These areas include the prefrontal cortex, basal ganglia, and limbic system.
The prefrontal cortex sits directly behind your forehead. This area of your brain provides for executive functioning, such as making decisions, planning, and adjusting your behaviors according to experiences or cues from others. When this area of your brain does not work as it should, your life falls into disorganization and behavioral problems.
The basal ganglia connects to the prefrontal cortex. This part of your brain reinforces your behavior patterns based on feeling good. With schizophrenia, how your basal ganglia connects with the prefrontal cortex is impaired.
Your brain’s limbic system helps you learn and retain memories. It also enables you to process emotions. Imagine how you would feel if you struggle to learn, retain memories, or deal with your emotions? This is the daily frustration for people with schizophrenia. This area of your brain also suffers impaired connection to the prefrontal cortex, if you suffer schizophrenia.
In each of these three areas of your brain suffering problems because of schizophrenia, brain chemistry also suffers. In fact, people with schizophrenia also have slightly smaller brains, when compared to people without the condition. Together, all of these differences lead to the behaviors people with the mental health disorder experience.
Addiction and Schizophrenia
People with schizophrenia often abuse drugs or alcohol. Knowing how their brain suffers impairments and differences from healthy brains, this self-medication is more easily understood.
By engaging in substance abuse, people with this mental health disorder seek stability and normalcy. That works for the first few doses or drinks. But soon, they fall into the cycle of addiction.
Getting help for addiction and schizophrenia at the same time means entering a dual diagnosis schizophrenia disorder treatment program. In such a program, treatments and therapies include:
- Dual diagnosis treatment
- Individual therapy
- Trauma therapy
- Extended care addiction treatment
- Aftercare
Knowing the answer to, “What part of the brain does schizophrenia affect” helps bring an understanding of why addiction and schizophrenia tend to go together. So now you only need to enter the right treatment program, to bring both of your conditions under control. At Crestview Recovery in Portland, OR, you gain that dual diagnosis treatment. So call Crestview Recovery now at 866.262.0531.
