Homero Daniel Hernandez-Yánez, Jorge E Reyes-Tovilla, Isela E Juárez-Rojop, Thelma Beatriz González-Castro, Mario Villar-Soto, María Lilia López-Narváez, Humberto Nicolini, Alma Genis and Carlos Alfonso Tovilla-Zárate
Schizophrenia is a severe mental illness that affects adults, especially between 15 to 35 years of age. Patients with schizophrenia have difficulty looking after themselves, completing their studies, holding a job, or being part of their community. In Mexico, there are mental health programs that provide help and assistance to people with mental health problems, but given the country’s current socioeconomic instability, a shortage of medication exists, as well as a deficit in trained personnel and mental health professionals, plus a lack of a public education program to prevent discrimination against people with mental disorders. Unfortunately, the exact number of people suffering from schizophrenia in developing countries (including Mexico) is unknown, since there are no recent censuses in mental health. Literature about schizophrenia mentions genetic predisposition and environmental factors. In this article, we showed 4 patients with schizophrenia who were treated at the Regional Hospital of High Specialty in Mental Health (Hospital Regional de Alta Especialidad en Salud Mental, HRAESM, in Spanish). Our main objective was the identification of symptoms in our patients and to compare the medication and side effects due to treatment in these patients. Substance abuse, dysfunctional family and family history of mental illness were characteristics associated with our patients, as well as side effects. However, the implementation of more studies is necessary to understand the risk factors associated with schizophrenia in our population.