Reading the poem “Schizophrenia” really opened my eyes when thinking about the mental illness. The poet transforms the way of thinking about schizophrenia by the usage of three literary terms personification, metaphor, and tone throughout the poem. My initial thoughts that this poem would focus on a person with schizophrenia, but later realize that the poem shows the destruction of the disease, which made this a great poem. The poem painted a vivid picture of how schizophrenia could ruin happiness, a relationship and even a place of comfort. After reading the poem by Stevens, readers can take away the message if a person does not get control over the disease, it will end up controlling or destroying a person’s
life.
Before reading the poem “Schizophrenia” this writer assumed that it would focus on one individual diagnosis with schizophrenia, but it also focused on a house. In the poem “Schizophrenia” by Jim Stevens, the poet describes a relationship between a husband and his wife. Stevens shows how the characters differences and aggression has changed the atmosphere of the house. The poet explained that not only is the couple affected by their hostile environment, it is the house that is suffering the most from the couple’s behaviors. Stevens has the house as a representation of how a brain of a person with schizophrenia person. Through the use of the characters actions and the house, Stevens exemplifies how schizophrenia can ruin a person’s life. After
Jim Stevens poem Schizophrenia depicts the way a schizophrenic person’s brain works. The poem uses two different types of figurative language-allegory, and symbolism.
Schizophrenia is one of the most well known and surprisingly frequent psychological disorders today. Patients who have this disorder have problems separating reality from fantasy or delusion. Typically, the person with schizophrenia starts off with a small paranoia about something or someone and continues to get more and more problematic until he/she has trouble functioning in the real world because of emotional, physical, mental, or financial reasons. Because of this, most people who end up homeless have Schizophrenia because they are unable to keep a job, Nathaniel Ayes in the book The Soloist. Nathaniel was a cello player attending the Julliard school of music, one of the world’s most prestigious performing art schools, until he developed schizophrenia and was unable to continue. This book shows how much a disorder such as schizophrenia can turn a person’s life upside down in the course of as little as a few weeks.
These words are the description of schizophrenia, written by a woman who was diagnosed with schizophrenia, Elyn Saks. Her book, The Center Cannot Hold is the memoir of Sak’s own life experience and her struggle with schizophrenia, or as she puts it, her journey through madness. Although her journey did not lead to a full recovery, as is the case with many individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia, Saks was able to live and maintain a life, despite her very negative prognosis. She is a living myth buster to the stereotypical beliefs that have been commonly assumed by many about schizophrenia. Common misconceptions include the inability to live independently, to work professionally, to have meaningful relationships with friends and/or significant others, and to actually be able to live normal lives. Saks was able to achieve all of these despite her struggles, her late diagnosis, and her numerous hospitalizations and relapses. This is especially encouraging considering the fact that Saks grew up in a time in which schizophrenia was even less understood than it is today. Although researches have come a long way, much is ...
“Schizophrenia is not a terribly common disease, but it can be a serious and chronic one. Worldwide about 1 percent of the population is diagnosed with schizophrenia, and approximately 1.2% of Americans (3.2 million) have the disorder” (Mentalhelp.net). The majority of society does not recognize what schizophrenia does to an individual and to their family. Using this context, in the poem Schizophrenia, the author, Jim Stevens utilizes the literary devices of imagery, symbolism, and personification to show how schizophrenia can rip a family apart; and can even go as far as to modify the atmosphere that the family lives in.
To me, Schizophrenia is by far the most frightening disorders in the DSM. Snyder’s account of how he truly believed his delusions, specifically those surrounding the debilitating fear for his life, are hard to image. This presents a challenge for me as a counselor in empathizing with clients who are experiencing this. In reflecting on this dilemma, I came to realize that while I may not be able to understand the fear of my life being in danger, I can relate to the emotion of fear; this can be the connecting point for me to the client. Expressing sympathy is also another tool I have when I am unable to empathize with a client’s thoughts and emotions. Furthermore, Snyder’s narrative reinforced my notion of how insidious Schizophrenia can be. That is to say, that while in many cases this disorder may live traces of itself in childhood and adolescents, in some cases it occurs unexpectedly. Snyder details his normal childhood, including supportive parents, with little to no evidence of any sort of trauma or odd behavior; and yet he was still blindsided with the disease. I began to reflect particularly on how difficult this would be for clients experiencing these same circumstances. It will be essential for me as a counselor to recognize that
"Schizophrenia", the poem by Jim Stevens is a poem that begins the opening with "It was the house that suffered most" . Most how think about how difficult it would be for the member of a family dealing with a family member, who has the condition of Schizophrenia.
Schizophrenia in The Yellow Wallpaper. Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s "The Yellow Wall-Paper," does more than just tell the story of a woman who suffers at the hands of 19th century quack medicine. Gilman created a protagonist with real emotions and a real psych that can be examined and analyzed in the context of modern psychology. In fact, understanding the psychology of the unnamed protagonist is well on the way to understanding the story itself. " The Yellow Wall-Paper," written in first-person narrative, charts the psychological state of the protagonist as she slowly deteriorates into schizophrenia (a disintegration of the personality).
The Soloist (Foster, Krasnoff & Wright, 2008), is based on a true story of Nathaniel Anthony Ayers Jr. who develops psychosis and becomes homeless. In the film, Nathaniel is considered a cello genius who is discovered on the streets by Steve Lopez, a journalist from the Los Angeles Times. Steve was searching for a story and he decided to write a newspaper article about Nathaniel. Nathaniel always had a passion for music. He was a child prodigy and attended Juilliard School of Music. However, he faced many complications at Juilliard, particularly hearing voices speaking to him. Unable to handle the voices, Nathaniel dropped out and ended up living on the streets of Los Angeles. Steve and Nathaniel develops an unexpected
effects one point one percent of the United States adult population, and is usually diagnosed in the late teen years. Schizophrenia is characterized by abnormal social behavior and can be caused by genetics, environment, or an imbalance in brain chemicals. Holden Caulfield, the protagonist in The Catcher In The Rye, by J.D. Salinger, shows an abundance of symptoms typical in patients with schizophrenia. Holden Caulfield is a seventeen year old student who is constantly flunking out of schools. Holden's younger brother, Allie, died at age ten from Leukemia, Holden, at the time, was thirteen. Holden's roommate committed suicide in front of him as well. Both of the deaths have been traumatizing towards him. Holden Caulfield shows
Millions of people make up humanity, coloring the world with their unique personalities, and while they are sometimes labeled as eccentric or even strange, no one goes beyond the surface to see what makes them who they are. What if the people seen every day as professors, students, or geniuses, become someone else? What if their reality is no longer the one shared amongst others in the world?
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.
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 ...
“A Beautiful Mind” is a movie by director Ron Howard, which is based on the biography of a mathematical genius John Forbes Nash, Jr, played by Russell Crowe. Jennifer Connelly plays the role of Alicia Larde, wife of John Nash. John is a schizophrenic. He received the Nobel Prize for Economics in 1994 for developing the “game theory”. This is a movie about how schizophrenia affects the functioning of the person as well as their family. Though we will never know what it is actually like to suffer from this disorder, this movie tries to portray the experiences of a schizophrenic. This movie also tries to encourage people to get help because schizophrenia can be treated though not cured. John is a graduate student at Princeton University. He is a mathematical genius who is trying to develop an original idea. Like many cases of schizophrenia, his symptoms start to begin in his 20s, which is evident by the fact that Charles Herman is his imaginary friend, his roommate from Princeton. Besides, the way he talks and walks is somewhat eccentric. He is very competitive. He had schizophrenia long before he was diagnosed with it. It takes him a while to realize his problems after being diagnosed with schizophrenia.
The movie "A Beautiful Mind" tells the story of Nobel Prize winner John Nash's struggle with schizophrenia. It follows his journey from the point where he is not even aware he has schizophrenia, to the point where Nash and his wife find a way to manage his condition. The movie provides a lot of information and insight into the psychological condition of schizophrenia, including information on the symptoms, the treatment and cures, the life for the individual and for the individual's family. The movie is effective at demonstrating various concepts related to schizophrenia, and provides an insight into the disease of schizophrenia.