Sample Schizophrenia Case Study

1. Definition – This is a specific schizophrenia and these individuals are very unorganized with many parts of their lives. They will be unable to straighten out their thinking, speech, and their behavior. They can also be very dull to emotions.
2. Causes/Risk Factors
• Drugs taken in teen years that alter the mind.
• Environmental
• Problems with chemicals in the brain such as dopamine and glutamate.
• The father being older in age while conceived.
• Abnormalities in brain structure.
• Exposure to viruses, toxins, and malnutrition while in the womb.
• Increased immune activation.
• Genetic
3. Signs/Symptoms
• Disorganized behavior
• Disorganized speech
• Hallucinations
• Delusions
• Extremely disorganized motor skills
• Emotionally “flat”

• Keep them in the “normal” reality as much as possible.
• Decrease hallucinations and delusions.
6. Nursing Interventions
• Administer Clozaril per doctor’s order – reduce the symptoms of this disorder. o Monitor mental status o Monitor BP – sitting, standing, lying o Assess weight and BMI o Monitor bowel function
• Ensure that the patient has taken their medications. – they will keep their meds in their mouth and not take them.
• Monitor mental status. – suicide is common in clients with this disorder.
• Encourage their participation in therapy. – they need to organize thoughts and decrease delusions and hallucinations.
• Redirect their thoughts, behaviors and speech when it becomes disorganized. – this will help them to redirect these behaviors.
• Encourage the family to participate in therapy. – this can be very trying on a family and they will need support.
• Encourage the client to participate in their treatment plan. – having goals will hopefully organize their thoughts.
• Educate the family on this disorder. – they need to understand so they can navigate this disorder for their loved one.
7. Goals/Expected Outcomes
• They will have more organized