Fear Of Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a complex, chronic mental disorder, which is categorized by certain symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions,

Schizophrenia is a disorder that is characterized by a broken thought process and poor emotional responses. Typical symptoms of this disorder include delusions, paranoia, hallucinations, social dysfunctions,

So what is Schizophrenia? Schizophrenia is a long term mental disorder of a type involving a breakdown in the relation between thought, emotion, and behavior(Schizophrenia). Schizophrenia often leads to faulty perception, withdrawal from reality and personal relationships into fantasy and delusion, or inappropriate actions or feelings.

Throughout the many years, there have been many negative public perceptions of Schizophrenia, which is known by majority of the public as an indication of mental illness. This disorder is most of the time perceived by the public as caused by psychological factors. People with this mental illness are considered to be unpredictable and threatening (Angermeyer & Matschinger, 2003, p. 526). Most patients have a behavioural dysfunction. Victims, families and society carry a substantial burden due to this illness (Wood & Freedman, 2003).

The media has a very bad tendency to show schizophrenia as something violent and evil, lying to the public making it look much worse, this is shown by, “It is certainly alarming that many media representations of schizophrenia are sensationalized, suggesting the risk is far greater than in reality” (Ms.Hocking, Schizophrenia vs. The Media). Furthermore, the reason behind these deluded thoughts is due to the media’s influence on people. People rely so much on the media in this time period that anything in the media is instantly seen as true even if there is a false reality around it. After all it is these harsh lies that hurt ones with schizophrenia, making them all look like evil, violent, villains and make others treat them as so due to the corruption placed in the minds of the people through media. A good example of this falsification is horror movie villains, they are sometimes seen with signs of schizophrenia but are completely portrayed as evil due to this illness. The only thing that comes to mind to fix this problem is to do research on the illness so those with it do not get misjudged and mistreated, they need to learn how to help the problem not make it

Schizophrenia is a debilitating psychosis, a mental condition that affects about 1% of the US population (WebMD). There are 5 types of schizophrenia: catatonic, disorganized, paranoid, residual, and undifferentiated (schizlife).

The mental health of individuals living with schizophrenia not only depends on the severity of their mental illness, it also depends on their inclusion within their community (Michael, 2012). Despite recent advances and treatment, individuals suffering from schizophrenia encounter a considerable stigma that creates barriers to them receiving adequate treatment which in turn hinders their full integration into society (Morgan, 2003). The conceptualization of stigma was explored (Goffman, 1963) as an attribute which is deeply socially discrediting and makes the person carrying the stigma different from others and of a less desirable kind (Goffman, 1963 pg 13). However, the individual experiencing schizophrenia is not solely the person affected by stigmatization. Stigma is also believed to affect the individual’s social network, including family, friends and mental health and social care professionals. However (Sayce, 2000), building on the work of Goffman’s theory, saw stigma as driving stereotypes or negative views, attributed to a person, marginalising the person from receiving adequate treatment. Much research has been conducted to aid understanding of stigma, through studying public attitudes and beliefs.

Psychological disorders are a very serious matter and everyone needs to be aware of them. Millions of people around the world are affected by these. These disorders could happen to anybody. Several people think it would never happen to them but it still does. They are not contagious and can’t be caught or given to someone else. Many people experiencing symptoms do not even realize they have a disorder. That is why awareness of them needs to be a top priority so these people can get the help they need. One of the most feared disorders is schizophrenia (Myers, 2014, 657).

    What is Schizophrenia you may ask. According to the National Institute of Mental Health Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder that affects how people think, feel, and even behave. Someone that has been diagnosed with Schizophrenia may

Schizophrenia has no actual definition, but it describes a series of events and actions that a person ususally experiences. Schizophrenia is a psychosis. ( Smith, 1992, p.23-25 ) Psychosis describes a disorder where a group of mental disturbances happen. Schizophrenia is described to be a psychosis because it causes the victim to lose the ability to be in touch with society and its functions. For example, a person may begin to "see" animals that are not there, or may begin to characterize themselves as a famous person from the past such as Queen Elizabeth or King Edward. ( Kvarnes, Parloff, 1983, p.220-223)

Schizophrenia is a long lasting psychotic disorder in which there is an inability to distinguish what is real from fantasy as well as disturbances in thinking, emotions and perception.

Motoric immobility as evidenced by catalepsy (including waxy flexibility) or stupor, Excessive motor activity, Extreme negativism (motiveless resistance to instruction or

Many people are unaware of what schizophrenia really is. It has been said that, “Schizophrenia rolls in like a slow fog, becoming imperceptibly thicker as time goes on

Schizophrenia is a chronic mental illness that affects approximately 1% of people around the world, and more than two million citizens in the U.S. alone (Dryden-Edwards). This illness is seen to affect men more often than woman. Schizophrenia is one of many psychotic mental disorders and usually presents with symptoms including behavior, thought, and social issues. Many people would describe schizophrenia more simply as a mental disorder that is characterized by abnormal social behavior which leaves the sufferer with a hard time differentiating things that are real from things that are hallucinations. There are five different types of schizophrenia that are all categorized differently due to the different symptoms the person experiences. The five different types of schizophrenia are: Paranoid schizophrenia, Disorganized schizophrenia, Catatonic schizophrenia, Undifferentiated schizophrenia, and Residual schizophrenia. Though all different types of schizophrenia have unique symptoms, Undifferentiated schizophrenia contains all of the symptoms from every type of schizophrenia put together.

Schizophrenia is a psychotic disorder that causes severe mental disturbances which disrupt ones thoughts, speech, and behavior. According to Paul Thompson, Associate Professor of Neurology, one percent of the world’s population suffers from this disorder. There is no one specific cause of schizophrenia, because it is caused by a combination of problems during development. It is a disorder which not only affects the patient, but their family and society as well. Schizophrenia can be a debilitating disorder, however, there are many treatments that can allow people who suffer from it to lead normal lives.