Have you ever felt lost in your thoughts and not paying attention to yourself and essential life activities? How often do you think that you are losing your appetite? You might have Schizophrenia, a common mental illness that also involves specific changes in appetite. However, if you want to know more about how Schizophrenia causes loss of appetite, then read this article. After reading this article, you will also get an idea regarding the treatment ways to get rid of appetite loss and all the negative consequences of Schizophrenia.
What is Schizophrenia?
Schizophrenia is a common mental illness that negatively affects the person’s thoughts, emotions, and behavior. Moreover, individuals feel reduced contact with reality and remain lost in their thoughts. But the main question is how Schizophrenia can cause the loss of appetite and why. Individuals with schizophrenia take stress more than usual and feel that they have lost their appetite. However, multiple treatment options are effective for the treatment of Schizophrenia and the associated appetite loss.
Schizophrenia is a mental illness that involves the disconnection from reality. Moreover, it is a long-lasting disorder characterized by hallucinations, delusions, disorganized thinking behavior, and multiple negative emotions. Appetite loss is also common in those individuals combating Schizophrenia, and therefore, they face difficulty in performing their daily life functions.
Does Schizophrenia cause loss of appetite in all individuals?
No. Not every individual with Schizophrenia has to suffer from loss of appetite. However, multiple factors can trigger this symptom of Schizophrenia in some individuals. Every individual dealing with Schizophrenia exhibits varied responses. Some individuals eat less, while some have unhealthy diet patterns. Fortunately, with the help of some highly effective treatment options, each individual can take complete control over all symptoms of Schizophrenia, such as loss of appetite.
Altered Perception in Schizophrenia
The main factor in Schizophrenia that usually disrupts standard eating patterns is the negatively altered perception as they have blurry thoughts and think that they do not have any need to eat anything, and they have fuller stomachs. This ultimately results in a loss of appetite.
Why does Schizophrenia cause loss of Appetite?
Multiple reasons result in the loss of appetite in Schizophrenia. However, the most common factors that are responsible for this include:
1. Anxiety & Depression
Individuals who have Schizophrenia take stress more than usual, and therefore, they even forget to take their meals on time. If this condition remains the same for a more extended period, then this results in a loss of appetite.
2. Negative symptoms of Schizophrenia
Although there are many positive symptoms of Schizophrenia, there are also some adverse symptoms of Schizophrenia, which include reduced energy, passion, motivation, and interest. Individuals usually do not feel interested in caring for their health and typically avoid meals on time. This situation persists with time and becomes a significant cause of loss of appetite.
3. Side effects of medications
Experts recommend medications to manage the symptoms of Schizophrenia, which include antipsychotics. The misuse or excessive intake of antipsychotics can also cause the loss of appetite. The medication results in the brain’s inability to receive hunger signals. Moreover, it also affects the release of certain neurotransmitters, which ultimately can cause the loss of appetite.
4. Cognitive difficulties
Individuals who have Schizophrenia also face multiple cognitive abnormalities, such as difficulty in focus or concentration, learning, and memory. Therefore, individuals cannot remember when they have to take their meals. Moreover, they do not feel hungry like others and, thus, experience appetite loss.
5. Disturbed life routine
Affected individuals do not focus on their life routine. Their disturbed daily life patterns exhibit multiple consequences. Among them, loss of appetite is more prominent.
6. Physiological factors
Due to Schizophrenia, multiple physical changes also occur, which include the bacterial imbalance in the gastrointestinal tract and reduced levels of gastric acid. These symptoms can also result in poor nutrient absorption and loss of appetite.
7. Paranoid thoughts
As paranoid thoughts are more common in Schizophrenia, individuals feel fear regarding food and usually avoid eating.
How to manage the loss of Appetite in Schizophrenia?
Individuals with Schizophrenia and loss of appetite face difficulty in different areas of life. However, they can deal with both conditions by taking the following measures.
1. Create a structured routine
The first thing that you should do is to prioritize self-care. Make a structured daily routine and follow that so you never miss any meal and prevent losing your appetite.
2. High-calorie food
You can change your meal if you are not attracted to the food. For example, you can add some high-calorie food to your diet that gives you energy and a lot of nutrients. Ultimately, you can get rid of appetite loss.
3. Controlled meal
If you do not feel hungry at the times of your meal three times a day, then you can also limit the portion of your diet and take it after the regular intervals. In this way, you will never feel hungry, enhancing your appetite.
4. Low-glycemic diets
Avoid the intake of refined sugars and take low-glycemic diets to prevent reduced energy levels and loss of appetite.
5. Monitor & address eating abnormalities
There is also a possibility that you are suffering from any eating disorder, such as binge eating, as their occurrence with Schizophrenia is also common. Therefore, by targeting those eating issues first, you can control the appetite loss that is common in Schizophrenia.
6. Stress management
Individuals who have Schizophrenia are in more stress and anxiety as compared to the other normal individuals. Therefore, individuals can deal with their most common stress and anxiety with the help of stress management techniques. Stress management can ultimately lead to control over appetite.
Other helpful lifestyle changes involve:
- Making a schedule of sufficient sleep
- Performing a regular exercise
- Avoid alcohol intake and misuse of drugs
Encouragement & support
If you think you can not focus on your diet due to stress or other factors, you can also get support from your loved ones. They can help you make a schedule for your diet or meal. Moreover, they can motivate you to focus on your diet or help you prepare or get a good, healthy, and nutritious meal.
Appetite-stimulating medication
Some medications can stimulate the appetite, such as megestrol. However, experts usually do not recommend such medicines until the person has the symptoms.
The link between Eating disorders and Psychosis
There is a strong link between eating disorders and Psychosis, especially in those individuals who are the victim of Schizophrenia. Both Schizophrenia and Psychosis are distinct mental health issues, but in most cases, they usually overlap with each other.
Multiple studies have reported that most individuals who have Schizophrenia also get common eating abnormalities, including anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. This overlapping is more prominent in those individuals in whom the ratio of delusional thinking and paranoia is higher as compared to other symptoms. Due to their schizophrenic symptoms, they have specific wrong beliefs regarding food. Moreover, they also have an altered understanding of certain food items and reality.
Another major factor that makes a significant connection between eating disorders and Psychosis is stress. Stress leads to psychotic symptoms, which in turn negatively affect eating patterns. If individuals do not eat healthy meals on time and experience a loss of appetite, they can experience weight loss and malnutrition.
How to Support Someone with Schizophrenia and Loss of Appetite?
Every individual always considers their mental health and their loved ones. The first thing that you should do is to listen to what they are feeling in Schizophrenia and why they do not want to take care of their diet. Treat them with love and care and tell them about the good food choices. You can also tell them all the positive aspects of that specific food item or list of items, such as their flavor and nutritious value. By doing that, you can increase their interest in the food.
Remember that you do not have to force them to eat something or change their eating behavior. Create a safe and friendly environment where they speak their heart out and share their own food choices in front of you without hesitation. At any particular point, if you feel that their schizophrenia symptoms are getting worse, then tell them to get professional help.
Seek Professional help
At any particular point in your life, if you think that you can not cope with Schizophrenia and appetite loss, then you can seek professional help. However, if you are already seeking any professional help, then there is also a greater possibility that your appetite loss is due to misuse of medication. So, in that case, your mental health expert can guide you to make some positive changes in your medication regimen so that you can suppress your appetite loss.
Brainpower Wellness Institute: Your Partner in Overcoming Schizophrenia & appetite Loss
If you or your loved one is battling with Schizophrenia and its common symptoms, including appetite loss then you can contact Brainpower Wellness Institute and communicate with professional mental health experts. Our professionals provide the most effective treatment for Schizophrenia and other common mental issues, including anxiety, depression, etc.
Whether you are having appetite loss or any other adverse effects of Schizophrenia, we can help you to get rid of all complexities and improve your health and overall well-being.
