Mental Illness: The Cause Of Schizophrenia

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 actual term “Schizophrenia” was coined by a Swiss psychiatrist name Eugen Bleuler in around 1911. Bleuler believed that Krapelin’s name for the disease was inaccurate because Schizophrenia did not always lead to a mental deterioration of the brain and it could occur at almost any time in a person’s life. The word Schizophrenia come from two Greek roots Schizo (meaning split) and Phrene (meaning mind) because people who develop this disorder often have fragmented thinking. Schizophrenia can be defined as “a long-term mental disorder of a type involving a breakdown in the relation between thought, emotion, and behavior, leading to faulty perception, inappropriate actions and feelings, withdrawal from reality and personal relationships into fantasy and delusion, and a sense of mental

In the world today, there are many illnesses and disorders that affect people each and every day. One illness in particular that is very big in the US and all around the world is Schizophrenia. It is also the most researched topic. A person who is diagnosed with Schizophrenia lives a very different lifestyle than someone who is not. Many people would consider a person with schizophrenia to be “crazy.” Sadly enough, people with this illness do posses symptoms that might come off as crazy or insane. There are many different causes that come along with schizophrenia. A person who is diagnosed may not know it at first but they do later realize that they have some interesting thoughts, depending on the type of symptoms they posses while having this illness. Although the symptoms may be very brutal and causes cannot be controlled, there still is hope and treatments for individuals who have schizophrenia.

According to Mathers et al., (1996) “Schizophrenia ranks among the top ten causes of disability worldwide and affects one in one hundred people at some point in their lives.” (Cardwell and Flanagan, 2012). Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder which is commonly diagnosed in 15-30 year old individuals. It disrupts a person’s cognition, perceptions and emotions, making it extremely difficult to diagnose. Bleuler (1911) introduced the term schizophrenia, which translates as ‘split-mind’ or ‘divided self’ and accounts for the earlier interpretations of the disease. These misunderstandings and the ongoing misrepresentations, especially within the media, has stigmatised the illness. This raises the need for better understanding and

According to the DSM -5, Schizophrenia affect a person psychologically, as well as physical. The psychological effects of schizophrenia include, severe depression, hallucinations, emotional outburst, psychosis, extreme anxiety, irrational thoughts, suicidal thoughts, and perception. The physical effects includes, insomnia, loss of appetite, catatonia a state of immobility, self-inflicted injuries, and weight loss. Schizophrenics certainly can’t live a normal life, especially among the ones they love because it is hard for them to socialize with others. Here is an article from the New York Post, January 25, 2014. Sean Farrell, a 24 year old schizophrenic man killed his mother with an ax, he then called his grandmother to confess about the murder claiming he should have taken his life and hope that no one was mad at him. Family members of the murderer said he had stopped taking his medications weeks prior to the murder; his mother was worried. According to the victim’s father, the day before the murder the victim had plans to take him to a mental facility for an evaluation. Sean was found mentally incompetent to stand trial by two psychologists. His Obsession with aliens made him believe that he was from space and landed on Antarctica in 1970. The main point of this article, is to point out that a person living with schizophrenia isn’t aware of what he or she is

“Anxiety is not rude. Schizophrenia is not fake. Mental disorders are not wrong” Mental illnesses are not something to be ashamed of. In today’s society, illnesses can be seen as weird or abnormal, but in reality, our bias truly stems that illusion. Schizophrenia, anxiety and other mental illnesses are underrated as illnesses and overrated as attention-seeking. People can be predisposed to mental illnesses if a blood relative has a illness, neglection as a child, excessive drug and alcohol use, and much more.

In 1968 the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) updated the definition of schizophrenia to include hostility, aggressiveness, and lack of acceptance of oneself. The next social, or cultural influence is that of stigma against mental illness in our daily lives. These attitudes play on decisions made in our lives that affect the larger world. In a recent poll released by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) finds misconceptions to be prominent by American society. “Slightly more than 70 percent of those surveyed would be afraid for their own safety around a person who has not received treatment for schizophrenia, and 21 percent would be afraid for their own safety around a person who had been treated for the disorder, according to the results” (American Psychiatric Association, 2011).

Schizophrenia is often a misunderstood disorder. With many disorders individuals can at least empathize because in some form or another they can relate them to something; but, Schizophrenia has symptoms that make it harder for others to understand, such as hearing voices that are not there or speaking sentences that have no meaning (Oltmann & Emery, 2014). These patients can have misconceived thoughts of others around them too. The name Schizophrenia and the media often only enhance our misunderstandings of the disorder (Morgan, J., & Morgan, C., 2010).

Schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder that affects millions of people and it should not be underestimated or ignored.

(Szasz,1982, p.4, p.29) In 1900, the term schizophrenia, now used worldwide, was used to describe the condition that one out of every hundred people had. This statistic remains the same today. Through research and years of study, the world has a better understanding of schizophrenia, its forms, characteristics, symptoms, types, possible causes, and treatments, if any. ( Pierce, 1990. p.263 )

General: Schizophrenia is a widely misunderstood and rare mental illness and because of this its name carries an air of mystery with it. Especially so because it can present in different ways and each individual with Schizophrenia has a unique array of symptoms and their own individual treatment plan and level of functioning in society. Because of this misunderstanding, the success rate for Schizophrenics is not as high as it should be and society isolates and fears those who suffer from it.

Genetic research has failed to show a specific hereditary gene for schizophrenia though chances of getting the illness do increase when immediate family has it. An individual with a schizophrenic grandparent has a 3% risk increase in obtaining the disease, a 13% risk increase if a parent has it, and approximately 50% risk increase if both parents have it (2011, Herson). Another increaser can be an individual 's environment as a child. A lower income family, troublesome behavior in school, abysmal peers, and a poor social competence all increase an adolescent’s chances of obtaining the illness. Statistics also show substance abuse is a trend with nearly half of all schizophrenics using drugs and alcohol excessively (2007, Barrowclough). Brain imaging tests such

The word itself, schizophrenia, was meshed together by Bleurer, meaning ‘split mind’. However there is a common misconception that schizophrenia refers to multiple personality. In fact, schizophrenia is characterised by various symptoms such as disturbances in thought including delusions and neologisms, emotions such as flat effect of inappropriate emotional reactions, perception such a hallucinations and false perceptions, and behaviour, affection one’s ability to communicate effectively and disrupting most aspects of daily functioning. Those living with schizophrenia have difficulty in differentiating what is real and what is not real, keeping track of their thoughts and responding to the daily events of life. There is evidence that biological factors affect the likelihood of a person to get schizophrenia. It is family disorder, therefore meaning that the relatives of people with schizophrenia have a greater chance of being affected by the disorder. The origins of schizophrenia appear to lie in numerous biological and psychological domains. However, the full causes have not yet been discovered and there is no known cure. According to the World Health Organisation, schizophrenia affects about 24 million people worldwide so research into the condition is ongoing.

When we are caring for a patient with schizophrenia, we need to gain their trust. This is often difficult because when the word schizophrenia is mentioned in public, it is met with an array of stereotypes and stigma. Most people think that schizophrenics are criminals with violent tendencies. The vast majority of schizophrenics are not violent and do not pose a danger to others (Mental Health America, 2014). Patients with schizophrenia are treated with anger, fear, disrespect, dehumanization, and annoyance (French, 2011). This is generally due to the lack of societal

Movies and other forms of popular entertainment sources have often presented varied information and as well as misinformation about schizophrenia, most specifically in regard to its negative portrayals, which can lead to confused public opinion. In summary, majority of movies and popular entrainment media sources portrays people with schizophrenia as violent and with homicidal and suicide thoughts. In addition, most characters in these media sources are portrayed as Caucasians, males, and with supernatural abilities (Gaebel, 2011).