Introduction
High-quality mental treatment is becoming a priority worldwide, which calls for a reassessment of methods used to manage various mental illnesses. Different countries have divergent tools for such treatments – Eastern medicine, for example, is characterized by holistic approaches to mental health care, while Westerners prefer to use more direct therapy such as drug interventions. This essay will compare Indian, Chinese, and American outlooks on treating schizophrenia as these methods have their pros and cons.
Schizophrenia: Symptoms and Treatment in the United States
Schizophrenia is a mental health illness that may greatly interfere with one’s everyday life. The symptoms of the illness, according to DSM-5, include hallucinations and delusions, as well as disordered thinking and chaotic behavior (McCutcheon et al., 2019). If the person with the disorder does not receive proper treatment, they may indulge in harmful actions toward themselves or the people around them. McCutcheon et al. (2019) state that schizophrenia develops in a person’s early adulthood and is often treated via D2-receptor blockers as it “will dampen the consequences of dysregulated striatal dopamine release” (p. 207). Nursing diagnoses for patients with schizophrenia include impaired verbal communication, auditory and visual disturbed sensory perception, distorted thought process, caused by disorientation, and distractibility, which leads to impaired social interactions (Videbeck, 2020). In the United States, pharmaceutical treatment is frequently combined with psychotherapy, which reduces the symptoms of the illness and helps people with schizophrenia lead a better life.
Treatment of Schizophrenia in India
However, in India, there are different methods of treating schizophrenia. They involve medicine such as Kalyanaka Gritha, Apasmara Unmada, and others, of Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, Homeopathy, or Naturopathy (AYUSH) specialties that are believed to relieve the symptoms of schizophrenia (Parmar et al., 2022). While some of those drugs are proven to help with this disease, others were not properly tested; in addition, some AYUSH medicine contains toxic elements, which may harm one’s health (Parmar et al., 2022). Such lack of information may lead to fatal consequences as some drugs may affect the patient negatively instead of helping. On the contrary, medicine prescribed to those who have schizophrenia in the United States is usually validated as effective through extensive clinical testing (McCutcheon et al., 2019). However, other methods of AYUSH treatment may help patients improve their overall health and prevent other diseases. Therefore, the AYUSH medicine may be useful in treating schizophrenia, however, the drugs should be properly researched and tested before the prescription.
Treatment of Schizophrenia in China
Chinese traditional medicine is also used to help with schizophrenia treatment. This type of medicine consists of acupuncture, massages, various meditation techniques, and folk therapy (Thirthalli et al., 2016). Nevertheless, in Chinese society, especially in rural areas, exists a stigma on mental health problems. Such serious mental disorders as schizophrenia are frequently perceived with superstition and treated with the help of exorcists or other unorthodox methods (Thirthalli et al., 2016). Such actions may be harmful to people suffering from this disease, as they may traumatize them. In the United States, there is less stigmatization of such illnesses, which allows helping patients with schizophrenia by conducting psychiatric therapy and prescribing suitable medicine (McCutcheon et al., 2019). Yet, Chinese traditional treatments, as well as Indian AYUSH, may help with improving one’s general well-being (Rudra et al., 2017). Thus, the perception of mental illnesses in Chinese traditional medicine should be discussed – it will benefit the patients and reduce the destructive effects such disorders as schizophrenia may have on one’s life.
Conclusion
To conclude, if a patient with schizophrenia decided to try AYUSH treatment or Chinese traditional medicine to help with their illness, I would advise them to consult their doctor first. I would explain that there is a chance that AYUSH medicine may cause harm if not prescribed by a professional. As to Chinese traditional medicine, I would remind them not to expect a magical resolution to their health issues. However, I would not oppose my patient trying different treatment methods as long as they discuss it with their doctor.
References
McCutcheon, R. A., Marques, T. R., & Howes, O. D. (2020). Schizophrenia — an overview. JAMA Pychiatry, 77(2), 201-210.
Parmar, A., Nath, S., & Padhy, S. K. (2022). List of essential psychotherapeutic medicines 2019 of India: When science was left behind. Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 64(2), 209–212.
Rudra, S., Kalra, A., Kumar, A., & Joe, W. (2017). Utilization of alternative systems of medicine as health care services in India: Evidence on AYUSH care from NSS 2014. PloS one, 12(5), e0176916.
Thirthalli, J., Zhou, L., Kumar, K., Gao, J., Vaid, H., Liu, H., Hankey, A., Wang, G., Gangadhar, B. N., Nie, J. B., & Nichter, M. (2016). Traditional, complementary, and alternative medicine approaches to mental health care and psychological wellbeing in India and China. The Lancet. Psychiatry, 3(7), 660–672.
Videbeck, S. L. (2020). Psychiatric-mental health nursing (8th ed.). Wolters Kluwer.