Schizophrenia is a psychiatric disorder which causes people with this disorder to misinterpret reality. It is one of the top ten causes of long-term disability. Schizophrenia patients may hear voices that may not be there, they will believe that people are out to harm them, reading their minds, and controlling their thoughts. Because they have these feelings a person can become withdrawn and paranoid. The name schizophrenia leads us to believe that the illness causes a person to have a split personality. This was the old way of thinking about the illness, but it is not the case today. Although the causes of schizophrenia are still not determined data suggest that environmental, social, and genetic factors can play a part in developing the illness. People with schizophrenia develop this illness around the ages 16 and 30 years old. The illness does not develop quickly. Onset is gradual and subtle and usually takes places over a course of five years.
People begin to experience three broad symptoms which are negative symptoms, cognitive impairment, and then followed by psychotic symptoms. A person with schizophrenia may experience is negative symptoms. These are deficit states in which emotional and behavioral processes are reduced or not present. People with negative symptoms may be diagnosed with depression or other conditions because the symptoms are hard to recognize as part of schizophrenia. Symptoms may include anhedonia, flat affect, apathy, and alogia. Flat affect is when a person’s face doesn’t move or they talk in a dull voice. People with these symptoms may also lack the motivation to begin or maintain planned activities and lack the ability to feel pleasure. This person will also need assistance with everyday tasks such a...
... middle of paper ...
...tion. Studies show that there is a link between health status and family relationships and its influence to the weakness, adjustment, and recovery of a schizophrenia patient. Social factors such as social deprivation, poverty, ethnicity and immigration have been linked to causing schizophrenia. Research done in the 1980s and 1990s stated that there were high rates of schizophrenia in the Afro-Caribbean community in Britain. This signifies a link between the illness and ethnicity. However, studies done recently have showed that a high level of schizophrenia in immigrant populations. This signifies the factor is migration rather than ethnicity.
Schizophrenia is a life-long illness that requires a person and their family to really care for them. Many advances have been made in treatment and many patients can now live satisfying and significant life in the community.
Every year one hundred thousand young Americans are diagnosed with the disease schizophrenia (Carman Research). Schizophrenia is a brain disorder that is associated with unnatural behavior or thinking . The disease usually affects people during the late adolescence stage or early adulthood, typically during this time they develop the symptoms linked to the disease.
According to the DSM-IV, schizophrenia is classified under the section of “Schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders”. Schizophrenia is one of the most serious major chronic brain disorders in the field of mental health; it is a neurological disorder that affects the cognitive functions of the human brain. People living with this incapacitating illness can experience multiple symptoms that will cause extreme strain in their own and their families and friends life. The individual can lose reality, unable to work, have delusions and hallucinations, may have disorganized speech and thought processes, will withdraw from people and activities, they may become suspicious and paranoid, may behave inappropriately in every day social situations. They may neglect personal hygiene and dress improperly, use excessive make-up; every day life is becoming chaotic for everyone involved.
Mental illnesses are diseases that plague a being’s mind and corrupts one’s thoughts and feelings. Schizophrenia is one of the many disastrous illnesses that consume one’s life, is known as a real disease that deserves much attention. Experts believe that what causes the illness is a defect in the gene’s of the brain, and little signs of schizophrenia are shown until about one’s early adult years. Some effects of schizophrenia can either be negative or positive, but even if the effects could be either one, people should still be aware that there is something puzzling and alarming happening in the mind of a schizophrenic patient.
There are so many types of mental illnesses that affect people every day. When some people think of mental illnesses they think of the ones that would cause people to have physical symptoms as well, but that’s untrue, there are many more that you would never know anyone has if you were to see them on the street. As defined by the 2008 encyclopedia “a mental illness is any disease of the mind or brain that seriously affects a person’s ability or behavior. Symptoms of a mental illness may include extreme moods, such as excessive sadness or anxiety, or a decreased ability to think clearly or remember well.” A mentally ill person has severe symptoms that damage the person’s ability to function in everyday activities and situations. Every nation and every economic level can be affected by a mental illness. In the United States alone about 3% of the population has severe mental illness and to add to that number about 40% of people will experience a type of mental illness at least once in their lives. Some cases of mental illnesses can go away on their own, but some cases are so severe that they require professional treatment. There is so much more available to help people recover from their symptoms than in the past.
Schizophrenia has always been a disorder shrouded in mystery. The misconceptions combined with a lack of knowledge of the disorder lead to a stigma to be placed upon people with the disorder.
I’m sure you’re thinking that you’re more confused now than when you started but not to worry! What all of this means is the person exhibits symptoms of Schizophrenia and also has symptoms of a mood disorder like major depression and/or mania. Some describe Schizoaffective Disorder as Schizophrenia with Bi-polar Disorder. Although it is a little more complicated than that, it is a good overall generalization of the disorder. The symptoms of Schizophrenia include hallucinations such as hearing voices and seeing things that are not there, delusions, disorganized speech, disorganized or catatonic behavior, and the decrease or lack of speech, movement, or emotion. Along with these symptoms the patient will have periods of depression (disinterest in l...
Schizophrenia is a severe mental illness that affects one to two percent of people worldwide. The disorder can develop as early as the age of five, though it is very rare at such an early age. (3)) Most men become ill between the ages of 16 and 25 whereas most women become ill between the ages of 25 and 30. Even though there are differences in the age of development between the sexes, men and women are equally at risk for schizophrenia. (4) There is of yet no definitive answer as to what causes the disorder. It is believed to be a combination of factors including genetic make-up, pre-natal viruses, and early brain damage which cause neurotransmitter problems in the brain. (3)
What is Schizophrenia? Schizophrenia is brain disorder that makes it hard to see the difference between reality and imagination, have normal emotional responses, and act normal in social situations. Schizophrenia is relatively young, it has only been around for less than 100 years. It was first discovered by Dr. Emile Kraeplin in 1887. He believed it was a mental illness. A few documents take Schizophrenia’s origins back to Egypt during the Pharaoh’s rule around 1550 B.C. People originally thought schizophrenia was simply madness, and usually associated it with madness, even though it is quite different from madness. Symptoms of this disease include Positive symptoms, which are: hallucinations, or things that someone can see, feel, smell, or hear that do not really exist. Many people hear voices inside their heads, see people that are not there, or smell odors no one else smells. Delusions are another symptom, also known as bizarre beliefs, these may include paranoid delusions also, which are delusions that tell the person that others are trying to hurt them. Thought Disorders are a symptom in which the person thinks unusually or dysfunctionally. Movement disorders may be present in schizophrenic people, they may seem like twitches or small, sharp, and sudden movements. Schizophrenia’s “negative symptoms” are harder to recognize. These include the flat affect, in which the persons face doesn’t move and the voice is droning. The lack of pleasure in life is another once, along with the lack of ability to start and sustain activities, and little speech. These symptoms prevent or block the person from living a normal life because they cause social, physical, and emotional, and mental problems. This may lead to psychosis, insanity, or ...
...y is the severe impairments in social relationships. Schizophrenics with asociality have few friends and may not desire close relationships with other people. They also have poor social skills and a general disinterest in being around other people. The third negative symptom is anhedonia. This is the loss or lessening of pleasure. There are two types of pleasure but the main one is anticipatory pleasure that is diminished in schizophrenics. “Thus, the anhedonia deficit in schizophrenia appears to be in anticipatory pleasure.”() Blunted affect is the fourth negative symptom of schizophrenia. It refers to the lack of outward expression of emotion. This symptom is characterized by the person vacantly staring, the muscles in the face being motionless or the eyes lifeless. Finally the fifth negative symptom is alogia. People with alogia have a severe reduction in speech.
Schizophrenia can be described by a wide-ranging spectrum of emotional and cognitive dysfunctions. These can include hallucinations, delusions, disorganized speech and behavior, as well as inappropriate emotions. Consequently, this disease can affect people from all walks of life. Since schizophrenia is such a complex disorder it can ultimately affect a person’s entire existence and their struggle to function daily. With a chronic disease like this, most people have a difficult time functioning in society. This can make it hard for someone who is schizophrenic to relate to others as well as maintain significant relationships. Life expectancy for those who suffer this illness tend to be shorter than average. This is due to the higher rate of accident and suicide. The symptoms of schizophrenia can be broken down into different categories: positive, negative and disorganized. Positive symptoms include hallucinations and delusions. These tend to be the more obvious signs of psychosis. On the other hand negative symptoms indicate deficits or absence of normal behavior which can affect sp...
A 54-year-old man is brought to the Eemergency Ddepartment by an ambulance because he has been vomiting large amounts of fresh blood. He The patient admits to drinking three six-packs of beer and a pint of vodka on a regular basis for years. This is the second time he has presented with this symptom. Last week, he was admitted in to the same hospital for the same complaint. An endoscopy was performed, which revealed esophageal varices. Banding was done and he was discharged yesterday with no post-operative complications. He suddenly began vomiting blood today in the afternoon. He denies any trauma, eating, or taking any medication prior to the current episode. His physical examination is remarkable for hepatosplenomegaly and shifting dullness with a fluid wave on percussion of the abdomen. He has palpable
Schizophrenia is a psychiatric disorder occurring in the brain that is characterized by positive symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions, but can also display negative symptoms like the lack of emotional expression and catatonia, or the inability to move. Social problems, such as having difficulties with establishing and keeping interpersonal relationships, are also symptoms that can lead to the diagnosis of this illness (Tandon et al., 2013). Furthermore, schizophrenia has been linked to producing aggressive behaviors that can result in criminal acts (Hanlon, Coda, Cobia, & Rubin, 2012). The purpose of this literature review is to investigate the factors of schizophrenia that could contribute to an aggressive behavior and, in turn, to criminality.
Schizophrenia requires a lifetime of treatment through either medications and therapy, in many cases both is needed. Psychiatrist’s help patients survive through the disease. Another form to treat schizophrenia is through antipsychotic medications which are most commonly prescribed drugs to treat schizophrenia.
Schizophrenia is a group of psychotic disorders with major impairments in thought, emotion, and behavior; there is a constant prevalence rate of one percent with the occurrence being slightly higher in men. Though different psychologists have various theories on whether the disorder is linked to genetics or social economic status, schizophrenia in all
Mental health refers to the state of individuals psychologically, emotionally and socially. Mental health affects a person’s emotions, feelings, thoughts, and sections when exposed to different situations. Furthermore, mental health is responsible for a person’s reaction to stress and other social conditions. Generally, mental health affects how a person relates to others and their ability to understand and interact with them. Therefore, problems that affect a person’s mental health affect the abilities to socialize, their feelings, moods, reaction to situations. The person experiencing mental health problem may portray different behaviors when confronted with different issues. Mental health issues have several