Schizophrenia is considered one of the most common mental illness worldwide. Although it is a common illness, research has yet determined the initial factors that contribute to the disorder. Everyday schizophrenia affects individuals drastically with some bizarre symptoms, that only themselves understand it. In the following, one will be able to understand and identify each type, what factors contribute to the cause and how individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia function on a daily basis.
Characterized as the “crazy” disorder, schizophrenia is a mental illness that causes an individual to misinterpret reality and fantasy. A lifelong, non-curable disease of the mind that has an individual constantly needing continuous medication, therapy, and in the most severe forms, hospitalization. Schizophrenic individuals have it in their minds that they are being conspired against. They make up elaborate stories that are untrue, but to them, it is very real and they continuously portray feared personalities. They are incapable of understanding other’s feelings, withdraw themselves socially and are concerned with their thoughts and fantasies (Nevid & Rathus et al., 2010)
The most common type of schizophrenia is called Paranoid Schizophrenia. Individuals living with this type of schizophrenic disorder displays paranoid delusions accompanied by hallucinations and perceptual disturbances. They may have some delusions of persecution, exalted births, references, special missions or bodily change (Puri & Treasaden, 2011).
As mentioned earlier, some individuals assume they are being conspired against, therefore they may have a more agitated and fearful personality, which goes hand-in-hand with the delusional thoughts. It is difficult for ...
... middle of paper ...
...hizophrenia Health Information - NY Times Health. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/schizophrenia/causes.html [Accessed: 30 Nov 2013].
Mental Healthy (2013). Child sexual abuse may be important cause of schizophrenia | Mental Healthy. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.mentalhealthy.co.uk/news/530-child-sexual-abuse-may-be-important-cause-of-schizophrenia.html [Accessed: 30 Nov 2013].
Pedersen, T. (2013). » Winter Babies at Greater Risk for Schizophrenia - Psych Central News. [online] Retrieved from: http://psychcentral.com/news/2012/05/20/winter-babies-at-greater-risk-for-schizophrenia/38936.html [Accessed: 01 Dec 2013].
Mayoclinic.com (2012). Schizophrenia: Treatments and drugs - MayoClinic.com. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/schizophrenia/DS00196/DSECTION=treatments-and-drugs [Accessed: 01 Dec 2013].
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.
Lehman, A, Dixon, L, Perkins, D (2004). Treatments of Patients with Schizophrenia: Second Edition. https://www.alliancebhc.org/wp-content/uploads/Schizophrenia-Adult-1.pdf
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 ...
No one knows for sure what causes schizophrenia. The biological explanations are linked to genetic predisposition.
There are several people every year that are diagnosed with a mental disorder. In the world’s entire population, more than one percent of people have been diagnosed with schizophrenia (Brain and Behavior Research Foundation). When thinking of the billions of people in the world, it might not seem like that many people but once the number of those diagnosed is calculated it seems much larger. Currently there are more than seventy million people in the world that have been diagnosed with schizophrenia, only diagnosed. There are probably several more people who have this disorder and have not been diagnosed or are unable to obtain the resources to be diagnosed.
University of Maryland Medical Center. 2013. Schizophrenia. [online] Available at: http://umm.edu/health/medical/reports/articles/schizophrenia [Accessed: 30 Nov 2013].
National Library of Medicine, National Institute of Health. Schizophrenia. 31 Jan 2013. Web. 15 May 2014
Schizophrenia is a devastating mental disorder that strikes teens and young adults crippling their brain and fragmenting their mind. Victims of schizophrenia remain in endless mental agony constantly confused and in terror. They suffer constantly from hallucinations, delusions, and paranoia. Approximately 1% of the world population live with this disorder making it one of the most common mental disorders in the world. Despite the numbers, there is no known cause or cure for schizophrenia. So what is the disorder, why is it so hard to eliminate, and why do so many people fall victim to the fragmented mind?
According the fourth edition diagnostic manual of mental disorders (American Psychiatric Association, 2000), the category psychotic disorders (Psychosis) include Schizophrenia, paranoid (Delusional), disorganized, catatonic, undifferentiated, residual type. Other clinical types include Schizoaffective Disorder, Bipolar Affective Disorder/Manic depression, mania, Psychotic depression, delusional (paranoid) disorders. These are mental disorders in which the thoughts, affective response or ability to recognize reality, and ability to communicate and relate to others are sufficiently impaired to interfere grossly with the capacity to deal with reality; the classical and general characteristics of psychosis are impaired reality testing, hallucinations, delusions, and illusions. Mostly, these are used as defining features of psychosis even if there are other psychotic symptoms that characterise these disorders (L. Bortolotti, 2009).
Duckworth M.D., Ken. “Schizophrenia.” NAMI.org. National Alliance on Mental Illness, Feb. 2007. Web. 28 March 2010.
Schizophrenia is a disease of the brain that is expressed clinically as a disease of the mind. Once it strikes, morbidity is high (60% of patients are receiving disability benefits within the first year of onset) as is mortality (the suicide rate is 10%). (www.nejm.org/content/1999/0340/008/0645.asp). Because its symptoms and signs and associated cognitive abnormalities are diverse, researchers have been unable to find localization in a single region of the brain. This essay will discuss the symptoms, treatments and causes of schizophrenia.
BIBLIOGRAPHY Arasse, Daniel. Complete Guide to Mental Health. Allen Lane Press,New York, 1989. Gingerich, Susan. Coping With Schizophrenia. New Harbinger Publications, Inc. Oakland, 1994. Kass, Stephen. Schizophrenia: The Facts. Oxford University Press. New York, 1997. Muesen, Kim. “Schizophrenia”. Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia. Microsoft Corporation, 1998. Young, Patrick. The Encyclopedia od Health, Psychological Disorders and Their Treatment. Herrington Publications. New York, 1991.
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...
"Schizophrenia." NIMH RSS. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.
Schizophrenia includes several symptoms. One common symptom is delusions, which are false beliefs that the person holds and that tend to remain fixed and unshakable even in the face of evidence that disproves the delusions (Cicarelli, p. 557).