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Biological And Neurological Elements Of Schizophrenia

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Phoenix Falconer-Pincus
141588
Psychology : Biological and Neurological elements of Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that is commonly misunderstood. Due to the stigma surrounding mental illness, people are somewhat unaware of the biological reasons people act the way they do. Schizophrenia is highly linked to biological abnormalities in the brain. These abnormalities affect how the brain works, and in doing so, affect how the individual interacts with him/herself, and the outside world. By means of Jonathan’s case study, the biological and neurological element of schizophrenia is made more apparent and understood.

Schizophrenia is commonly thought of as being split personality disorder (where an individual will have multiple personalities) however, this is a major misconception. Schizophrenia is in fact a mental disorder where the …show more content…

The word schizophrenia comes from the Greek word “schizo” and “phrene” meaning “split” and “mind”. Individuals with schizophrenia may experience extreme paranoia, hallucinations, hear things and voices that do not exist, and may have bizarre and unusual behaviour tendencies ( ).These symptoms can be seen in the case-study as Jonathan became highly paranoid and claimed to hear someone telling him certain things that were not true. These symptoms often invoke fear in the individual as well as the people around them, as the symptoms create the space for the individual to hurt him/herself or the people around them. If schizophrenia is not treated correctly, it is highly dangerous for the patient and the people around them; however many people with schizophrenia are able to live fully functioning lives with the help of medical and emotional support ( ).There are many “warning signs” for schizophrenia, some of which are; lack of emotional awareness, deterioration in personal hygiene, the tendency to exclude oneself from situations, and

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