Schizophrenia Case Studies

Studies have shown that schizophrenia may be caused by many things. Several performed on adults with schizophrenia have shown a possible correlation between the illness and complication in pregnancy and/or delivery. Long term documentation of a female patient reported of symptoms of child onset schizophrenia from as early as three years of age. The same patient was suffering from paranoia, hallucinations and delusions at nine years old, after her mother was hospitalized,. It was learned at this time her mother had medical problems during pregnancy, possible infection and other perinatal complications. Some other common factors in case reports are environmental, fetal nutrition and maternal stress causing deprivation of oxygen to the fetus.

There is a much higher rate of probability for addiction in subjects diagnosed with schizophrenia, research showing roughly half show strong propensity to abuse. It is proven drug abuse elevates the effects of schizophrenia. It has been assumed use of drugs and alcohol are a form of self medication. Other issues such as lack of sleep generally causing an escalation in frustration, confusion, fatigue, nightmares, often causing a negative impact on treatment, and propensity for suicide. Suicide has proven to be more prominent in patients diagnosed with juvenile schizophrenia. Approximately forty percent attempting and ten percent succeeding. During treatment it is important for the parents and therapist to participate in the subjects speech and mental well being. Continual therapy and emotional stimulation sometimes leads a patient to seek help more often to say when they are having self harm tendencies. Patients often begin speaking erratically and often conversations are difficult to follow causing it to be difficult to know that suicide is being contemplated until its to