Symptoms of schizophrenia, such as hallucinations and paranoia, can usually be improved with drugs and therapy. But things like anxiety, problems with focus, and lack of motivation may not be so easy to treat.
"People with schizophrenia often find it hard to remember to do things like taking their medication, or fight to eat right or get regular physical activity," says John Torous, MD, a Harvard psychiatrist and director of Digital Psychiatry Division at Beth Israel Daconess Medical Center in Boston. As a result, your symptoms can get worse, and they end up in a vicious cycle difficult to break.
A way of people with schizophrenia can get support is through mobile well-being applications, says Colin Depp, PhD, a Psychologist at the University of California, San Diego, specializing in digital interventions for patients with schizophrenia . Apps can help you keep a medication schedule; Keep guides in your mood, sleep and day-to-day run; and even manage symptoms such as hallucinations.
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The most effective method is for people with schizophrenia use welfare or mental health applications between medical visits to improve their Care, says the door. "They can be a valuable way for a patient and your provider find out what can trigger symptoms," he explains.
He remembers a person with schizophrenia whose depression and psychosis were getting worse. "When we did so use different applications to collect data, it was clear to us that when he did not get a good night's sleep, his symptoms worsened," he says. "We help you monitor your sleep and, as you improved, your symptoms have improved. He had to see the data week a week to realize the connection."
These applications are also valuable as a form of therapy. Digital, since they can help people with schizophrenia work on social skills and help them get rid of negative thoughts. If someone hears voices (called auditory hallucinations), a meditation application can help block them, the organ says. "There is a belief among many medical professionals that people with schizophrenia have problems with technology, but if you work with a patient to teach them some basic skills of digital literacy, it is very long."
Search shows that these applications work. A revision 2020 concluded that two prescription applications focused on people with schizophrenia - focus and cousin - can relieve the symptoms of depression and boost independence in people with schizophrenia. (Both applications work, giving users daily challenges, providing therapy exercises and offering a way to connect with other patients in a virtual community.) Another study published in 2020, in which Dogould had a role, discovered that people with Schizophrenia that combined weekly therapy session in person with a smartphone therapy application called CBT2go reported significant improvement in their symptoms.
Although none of these applications are available to the general public, any type of welfare application can be useful for people with schizophrenia, says the thaw. "This allows them to use different cognitive skills and therefore can improve their attention, memory and focus as well as encourage them to adopt healthier lifestyle habits," he explains.
The challenge is if you use multiple apps, it says, it can be difficult to get a great sense of your general health information. "An application can track your medicine and another mood, and a third exercise habits," he explains. "It's very difficult to put everything together and understand how you're going."
Screen applications carefully. There are more than 10,000 mental health applications available, says Garotal, so it can be a challenge to choose the right path. "The Application stores do not regulate applications to make sure they are safe and work, so it's really the wild west out there. If you just look for schizophrenia at iTunes store, for example, games appear that really stigmatize the condition . "
Beth Israel Daconess Medical Center Partnership with the American Psychiatric Association to create a database with mental screened health care and wellness apps that you can sort to find one that best meets your needs. For example, you can search for applications that keep guides in your sleep, offer Mindfulness exercises or help you track your medications.
Help out of help. Some people with schizophrenia find it difficult to evaluate their emotions, accompany things like they feel at a given day, or register their diet or medication history, says Frank Chen, MD, head director Houston Hospital Hospital Hospital. It can make sense to set up a check-in in an application with your doctor or therapist.
"In my experience, when patients with schizophrenia receive only one application to navigate on their own, they do not have the same improvements that use it with a therapist or even with a janitor," says Tiffany Hernlands, PhD, Assistant Professor of medical psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia Irving Center Medical University.
A medical or mental health provider can also be able to customize the application to better meet your needs, NOTE Depp. For example, if you fight with constant feelings of paranoia, they can help create a script that appears on your phone or application so you can work through your emotions.
Review fine printing. As mobile applications can collect your personal data, it is important to review privacy policy to ensure that they can not share it with third parties unless you give consent, the organ says. The application should also make it clear what kind of information is collecting.
