Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe, disabling, brain disorder that affects how a person thinks, feels and acts. Someone with schizophrenia may have difficulties distinguishing between what is real and what is imaginary, be unresponsive or withdrawn, and may have difficulty expressing normal emotions in social situations. The cause of schizophrenia is still unclear, but some theories about the cause of the disease include: genetics, an imbalance in the brains chemistry, traumatic experience or accident, and/or possible viral infections and disorders. The illness occurs in 1% of the general population, but occurs in approximately 10% of people who have a first-degree relative with the disorder such as a parent or sibling. The risk is highest for an identical twin or a person with schizophrenia - with a 40-65% chance of developing the disorder. Scientists believe that an imbalance in the chemical reactions in the brain involving the neurotransmitters may play a role in the development schizophrenia. The brains of people with schizophrenia also show small differences such as enlarged ventricles, less gray matter, and some areas may have less or more brain activity. Schizophrenia affects men and women equally and occurs at similar rates in all ethnic groups. Symptoms will usually start between the ages of 16 and 30 but men tend to start experiencing symptoms earlier than women. Schizophrenia is rarely diagnosed after age 45 and rarely occurs in children however the rates of child-onset schizophrenia are increasing. The signs and symptoms vary from individual to individual, but all people with the disorder show one or more of the following symptoms: Delusions: beliefs that are not true such as feeling people are followin... ... middle of paper ... ...ence? /. The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 6(4), 345-7. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/195980575?accountid=158514 Andrade, C. (2009). Depression and schizophrenia. Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 51(2), 150-152. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.4103/0019-5545.49458 Geller, B. (2001). Brain changes in adolescents with early-onset schizophrenia. Journal Watch.Psychiatry, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1056/JP200110180000009 Malaspina, D., Goetz, R. R., Jill, H. F., Kaufmann, C. A., & al, e. (2001). Traumatic brain injury and schizophrenia in members of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder pedigrees. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 158(3), 440-6. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/220456413?accountid=158514 The American Journal of Psychiatry, 158(3), 440-6. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/220456413?accountid=158514
The causes of schizophrenia and the related psychotic illness have been the subject of much
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.
The neurodevelopmental Basis of Schizophrenia. Austin, TX: Landes Co.
For many years schizophrenia was thought to be caused by bad parenting, the so-called "refrigerator mother" was to blame. Today there exists much more information on the disorder and the evidence points to the commonly accepted notion of a chemical imbalance in the brain. Unfortunately, many people still confuse schizophrenia with multiple personality disorder when, in fact, the two are separate. Schizophrenia however, deals more with people who simply don't have a firm grip on reality.
There is still no unanimously accepted definition of schizophrenia, and appreciable differences exist between the narrowest and widest definition (Tsuang 13). It is a disease that includes a disturbance in cognition that renders the individual "out of touch with reality". Emotions are distorted in schizophrenia and they are typified by being socially withdrawn (Lahey 555).
There is a definite biological basis for this disease, although it is not totally understood. For a long time schizophrenia was a mystery to doctors and scientists. Virtually any patient with a psychological disorder used to be placed under the expansive umbrella that defined the disease. Poor parenting was a misleading, early excuse for the troubles caused by what is now known to be substantially based in genetics. The most current idea of origin is that this disorder occurs during the crucial beginning months of life, those spent within the womb. Neither ...
There are two ways that schizophrenia begins. One way is called Acute Onset. This happens very fast, about a couple of weeks. It is easier to recover from this. You are able to get help faster because people notice it sooner. The other way is called Process Onset. This takes a longer period of time to show. It is gradual, sometimes up to years. You may say or do strange things every now and then. It could be a long time before you go to the doctor.
[3]The disorder is thought to be environmental. Trauma, emotional, and stress disorders are mentioned as people who have had difficulties with schizophrenia would have no record of the genetic based disorder in their family.
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)
Then there is Undifferentiated Schizophrenia. Undifferentiated Schizophrenia is when people have symptoms of Schizophrenia that are not particularly formed or specific enough to be classified into one of the other subtypes of the illness. This person may experience delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech or behavior, catatonic behavior or negative symptoms. Making the individual not eligible to be categorized as paranoid, disorganized, or catatonic.
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder which disables the brain and leaves a person feeling psychotic. A person diagnosed with this disorder may see or hear things that other people don’t. They may also think that, if they are talking with someone, the other person is controlling his or her mind or is planning to hurt them in some way. This will result in the schizophrenic person withdrawing from any social interaction, or becoming very agitated.
Schizophrenia is a complex psychological disorder, which affects 1 -- 2 % of the world's population (www.nami.org/helpline/schizo) Schizophrenia can affect anyone at any age, but most cases develop between adolescence and age 30. The relative prevalence of schizophrenia is staggering compared with the likes of muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer's. (See appendix one).
Schizophrenia is a serious, chronic mental disorder characterized by loss of contact with reality and disturbances of thought, mood, and perception. Schizophrenia is the most common and the most potentially sever and disabling of the psychosis, a term encompassing several severe mental disorders that result in the loss of contact with reality along with major personality derangements. Schizophrenia patients experience delusions, hallucinations and often lose thought process. Schizophrenia affects an estimated one percent of the population in every country of the world. Victims share a range of symptoms that can be devastating to themselves as well as to families and friends. They may have trouble dealing with the most minor everyday stresses and insignificant changes in their surroundings. They may avoid social contact, ignore personal hygiene and behave oddly (Kass, 194). Many people outside the mental health profession believe that schizophrenia refers to a “split personality”. The word “schizophrenia” comes from the Greek schizo, meaning split and phrenia refers to the diaphragm once thought to be the location of a person’s mind and soul. When the word “schizophrenia” was established by European psychiatrists, they meant to describe a shattering, or breakdown, of basic psychological functions. Eugene Bleuler is one of the most influential psychiatrists of his time. He is best known today for his introduction of the term “schizophrenia” to describe the disorder previously known as dementia praecox and for his studies of schizophrenics. The illness can best be described as a collection of particular symptoms that usually fall into four basic categories: formal thought disorder, perception disorder, feeling/emotional disturbance, and behavior disorders (Young, 23). People with schizophrenia describe strange of unrealistic thoughts. Their speech is sometimes hard to follow because of disordered thinking. Phrases seem disconnected, and ideas move from topic to topic with no logical pattern in what is being said. In some cases, individuals with schizophrenia say that they have no idea at all or that their heads seem “empty”. Many schizophrenic patients think they possess extraordinary powers such as x-ray vision or super strength. They may believe that their thoughts are being controlled by others or that everyone knows what they are thinking. These beliefs ar...
In the long run most of the patients prove to be able to live outside
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